There are just a few days left in the NBA regular season and teams are jockeying for playoff position, including the Portland Trail Blazers who face off against the Phoenix Suns tonight.
The Blazers have won five games in a row but NBA betting lines have them installed as 5.5-point underdogs for tonight's contest in Phoenix.
Here are our best free Trail Blazers vs. Suns picks and predictions for Thursday, May 13, with tipoff at 10 p.m. ET.
Trail Blazers vs Suns game info
• Location: Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Date: Thursday, May 13
• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: BSAZ, NBCS-NW
Trail Blazers vs Suns odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonTwinSpires pegged Phoenix a 4.5-point favorite to open, quickly dipped to -4 and is down to -3.5 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Suns are getting 55 percent of point-spread bets, but the Trail Blazers are attracting 70 percent of point-spread dollars. The total is out to 236 from a 234 opener, though action is two-way, with the Over drawing 59 percent of bets/56 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameTrail Blazers at Suns betting preview
Injuries
Trail Blazers: Nassir Little SF (Questionable), Zach Collins PF (Out).
Suns: Cameron Johnson F (Out), Abdel Nader (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 14-2 in the Suns' last 16 games playing on one day of rest. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Suns.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Phoenix is second in the Western Conference with a 48-21 record but is coming off a loss to the Warriors on Tuesday and has just one win in its last four games. The Suns are now 2-4 ATS in their previous six contests and were lucky to cover the 12.5-point spread against Cleveland last week when the Cavs pushed them into overtime.
The Blazers are 40-29 and fresh off a 105-98 win over the Jazz last night. The Blazers' final two regular-season games could be crucial as they are just one game ahead of the Lakers for seventh place in the West and look to avoid the play-in series.
Both of these squads are efficient on offense, with the Blazers ranking second in the NBA in offensive rating, while the Suns are at seventh. But Phoenix is the far better squad on the other end of the floor where it ranks sixth in the league in defensive rating, while the Blazers rank just 29th.
Although the Suns haven't looked great lately, it's worth mentioning that most of their struggles have come on the road and they're a sizzling 20-8 ATS in their previous 28 home games.
They have played much better in Phoenix all season, boasting an average scoring margin of plus-9.2 points per game at home, compared to just plus-1.7 ppg in away contests.
The Suns have also shown a tendency to bounce back from poor performances, going 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games following a SU loss, and 21-6 ATS in their previous 27 contests after failing to cover the spread.
With the Blazers coming off a huge win against the league's top team last night, expect them to come out a bit flat against a Suns squad that's been hot at home. Take Phoenix to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Phoenix -5.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Suns rank seventh in the NBA in scoring defense by holding foes to 109.3 points per game, but they've struggled in that department lately, surrendering more than 120 points in three of their last four contests.
Led by All-NBA guard Damian Lillard (28.7 points and 7.5 assists per game), the Blazers are fifth in the NBA in scoring with 115.9 ppg. That said, they've struggled on defense and have allowed 114.5 ppg (22nd in the league).
The Blazers are 21-14 O/U on the road this season, including 5-2 O/U in their last seven away games. Meanwhile, the Suns are 20-7 to the Over in their last 27 games overall.
The Over has also gone 4-1 in the last five meetings between these teams, including both games in the head-to-head this year despite the Blazers missing guard C.J. McCollum and his 23 ppg. With McCollum once against healthy and lighting it up, don't be surprised if we get another shootout like the Suns' 127-121 win in Portland last month.
PREDICTION: Over 231.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
The Blazers are coming off a terrific defensive performance against Utah but were fortunate that the Jazz were missing shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.
Portland has a very potent scoring backcourt with Lillard and McCollum but the team struggles to defend against shooting guards, ranking just 26th in the league by allowing 24 ppg to the position.
That's bad news for tonight as the Blazers' backcourt will be matching up against shooting guard Devin Booker, who leads the Suns with 25.6 points per game. Booker has been even better lately, scoring at least 30 points in eight of his last 11 games.
He also scorched the Blazers in both meetings this season, putting up 34 points against them in February and scoring 35 in March, while combining to shoot 63.2 percent from the field in both contests. Take the Over on Booker's points total tonight.
PREDICTION: Devin Booker Points Over 27.5 (-110)
Trail Blazers vs Suns betting card
- Phoenix -5.5 (-110)
- Over 231.5 (-110)
- Devin Booker Points Over 27.5 (-110)
Picks made on 5/13/2021 at 10:40 a.m. ET
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