NBA 2018-19, Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers: Preview and prediction

Portland Trail Blazers (20-16) vs Philadelphia 76ers (23-13), Moda Center

Portland Trail Blazers will host the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at the Moda centre in Portland.

Blazers are coming off a loss against the Golden State Warriors, whereas 76ers beat the Utah Jazz on Thursday.

Blazers have dropped to 20-16 for the season after the loss yesterday, and are currently at the 7th position in the Western Conference rankings.

76ers improved to 23-13 for the season after the win against Utah and are now at the fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Let us see how things stand for both teams tonight.

The Portland Trail Blazers perspective

Blazers have been inconsistent this season. In the last two games, they beat the Warriors on the road but lost to them at home.

They lost to Warriors yesterday and will have no time to rest, as they face the 76ers today.

Damian Lillard was in hot form yesterday as he knocked down 40 points and dished five assists. C.J. McCollum, on the other hand, had another off night with just 14 points.

Jusuf Nurkic, who was the hero of the win against the Warriors, scored 21 points, grabbed ten rebounds and dished seven assists.

Only three of their players were in double figures, and the team fell short on every department. The game was full of intensity and ended up with six technicals and one ejection.

As a team, the Blazers are averaging 110.9 points and shooting nearly 45% from the field. They are rebounding well with 48 rebounds per game and shooting almost 36% from beyond the three-point line.

Blazers have been good at home with five wins in the last seven they played at the Moda Center. They will be looking to beat the high-profile 76ers team tonight.

The Philadelphia 76ers perspective

Philadelphia 76ers have won four games of their last eight. They will be looking for some consistency entering this third of their 5-game road trip.

Their road trip started with a loss against the Boston Celtics on Christmas day. Following that loss, they routed the Utah Jazz 114-97 with JJ Reddick leading the pack with 24 points and five rebounds.

Joel Embiid had a great game with 23 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while T.J. McConnell and Jimmy Butler scored 10 and 19 points respectively.

Ben Simmons finished with a triple-double, scoring 13 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing 12 assists.

As a team, 76ers are averaging 114.5 points and shooting 46.8% from the field. They are grabbing almost 48 rebounds per game and shooting 34% from beyond the three-point line.

76ers have been decent on the road and will be looking to improve their record further.

Injury updates

Blazers: NONE

76ers:

Joel Embiid has been listed questionable due to left knee soreness.

Key Matchups

Joel Embiid vs Jusuf Nurkic

Ben Simmons vs Damian Lillard

How things might unfold

76ers have been inconsistent but are a good team on the road. They have the quality in their lineup and addition of Jimmy Butler has been the cherry on the cake. But it all depends on whether Joel Embiid is fit for the match or not as he is the fulcrum of the team.

Blazers have a good record at home and at very difficult to beat at the Moda Center. C.J. McCollum has been cold for some time, and this team depends a lot on him. He needs to stand up tonight if they need to win here.

I would give this one to the Blazers as they will a completely different team at home.