The spotlight shifts to the Valley for the second half of tonight's NBA Play-In Tournament doubleheader. The Phoenix Suns (45-37) will host the Portland Trail Blazers (42-40) at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.
Phoenix is a 3-point favorite over Portland in tonight's matchup (Suns -3), with the game total sitting at 216.5 points. The Suns are listed at -148 to win outright on the moneyline, while the Blazers are +126 to pull off the road upset.
Let's get into my Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions for tonight's NBA Play-In game.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Predictions
- Trail Blazers vs Suns picks: Trail Blazers +3, Under 216.5
My Suns vs. Trail Blazers best bets are Portland to cover the spread and the game to stay under 216.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Odds
| Trail Blazers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -112 | 216.5 -106o / -114u | +126 |
| Suns Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -108 | 216.5 -106o / -114u | -148 |
Current odds: TRA 41% · SUN 60% · NBA
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Portland Trail Blazers vs Phoenix Suns NBA Preview
The Suns were supposed to be an afterthought this year — but instead, they surged to secure the 7-seed and nearly made the playoffs outright.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have been the definition of mediocrity this season — but Portland has a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time in a long time with a win tonight.
I can’t believe I’m backing this Blazers squad, who I have officially voted the most annoying team in the league.
The Blazers aren't good at anything — literally. They rank 22nd on offense and 11th on defense. So, they are “pretty good defensively” without actually being great.
Portland can’t shoot (22nd in eFG%), can’t rebound (25th in defensive rebound%) — and while the Blazers get to the line a ton (9th in free throw rate), they follow that up with a bunch of misses (22nd in FT%).
However, the problem is that for as fun and connected as the Suns have been this season, they also struggle in a bunch of areas.
The Suns are not great shooters, they give up rebounds, force a lot of turnovers, and make a lot of threes — which should be an advantage here. But, Portland will grind this game down and they have the perimeter defenders to slow down the Suns’ shooting.
I surprisingly make the spread for this game Blazers +1 based on power rating. Phoenix’s rating might be soft due to injuries, but the same might be true for the Blazers, who started to pick things up late in the season.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Betting Predictions
Trail Blazers +3
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Portland really might make the playoffs and face the Spurs in what would be an incredibly ugly first playoff series for Victor Wembanyama — though, I’d like to see Donovan Clingan battle him.
I’ll take the Blazers. Phoenix is good, but not good enough to be favored by this much — even at home.
Under 216.5
Play-in tournament games tend to go Under — with the Under sitting at 16-8 since the invention of the tournament.
With both teams' defenses the strongest units on the court, and both teams’ offenses stagnant, isolation heavy, and inefficient — I’m expecting an ugly, grind it out game that favors the Blazers.
Free throws are a concern here; Portland might shoot enough to inflate the score with dead-ball scoring. But ultimately, I like Portland having Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara to counter Devin Booker — and neither team’s bigs are consistent inside scoring forces.
Both squads will go through dry spells. Expect an ugly, choppy game to decide the 7-seed in the West. I’ll take the Under.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Picks
- Trail Blazers +3 (-112)
- Under 216.5 (-114)
