The Philadelphia 76ers (43-22, 24-10 Home), one of the league’s top scoring defenses, play host to the Portland Trail Blazers (31-35, 14-20 Away) on Friday.
Portland was dismantled by the Boston Celtics 115-93 at TD Garden on Wednesday. With 27 points and eight assists, Damian Lillard was the key player in the loss. The Trail Blazers are the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Philadelphia won their third in a row in dominant fashion on Tuesday at Target Center, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-94. Joel Embiid had 39 points, four assists, and three blocks to lead the team. The 76ers are the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After taking the only previous season matchup against Portland 105-95 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter on January 19, Philadelphia will be looking for a season sweep.
Embiid led the 76ers with 32 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Lillard had 25 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds in defeat. The Blazers have been led this season by Lillard, who is averaging 32.3 points per game, third-highest in the NBA.
Lillard also has dished 7.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Josh Hart is grabbing 8.2 rebounds. Embiid’s 33.3 points per game have powered the Sixers on offense. He has the No. 1 scoring average in the NBA. Embiid also has pulled down 10.1 rebounds per game, eighth-most in the NBA.
James Harden has distributed 10.8 assists per game. The 76ers rank as one of the top scoring defenses in the league, third-best with 110.9 points per game allowed.
The 76ers have had the advantage in the last 10 games between the teams at Wells Fargo Center, winning six. Portland is 4-6 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -7.3 (112.6-119.9). Philadelphia has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 119.9 points per game on average while holding opponents to 112.8 (+7.1 margin).
TRAIL BLAZERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Cam Reddish: 23.4 | 14.2 | +9.2
Anfernee Simons: 8.0 | 27.9 | -19.9
Points per game:
Cam Reddish: 15.4 | 10.3 | +5.1
Anfernee Simons: 4.0 | 21.1 | -17.1
Rebounds per game:
Damian Lillard: 7.8 | 4.6 | +3.2
Jusuf Nurkic: 6.0 | 9.4 | -3.4
Assists per game:
Anfernee Simons: 1.0 | 4.1 | -3.1
76ERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Tyrese Maxey: 26.6 | 20.2 | +6.4
Tobias Harris: 10.3 | 14.9 | -4.7
Rebounds per game:
Joel Embiid: 6.5 | 10.1 | -3.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Philadelphia 76ers -9.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
