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The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to the Lone Star state for a showdown against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at the AT&T Center. The two Western Conference teams will meet for the second time in the 2020-21 NBA season.
Both sides are coming off losses and will be eager to get back on the winning track. The Portland Trail Blazers have lost two games in a row to stay in sixth spot with a 31-23 record. Terry Stotts' side are two games behind the LA Lakers (fifth) and one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks (seventh).
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs have been sluggish of late, falling behind the top eight teams in a stacked Western Conference. Gregg Popovich's men have lost seven of their past 10 games, dropping to 10th place with a 26-27 record behind them.
Match Details
Fixture: Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Friday, April 16th, 2021, 8:30 PM ET. (Saturday 6:00 AM IST)
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers will need to get their house back in order as they have now lost four of their past five games. The men in black have been slumping against teams with winning records since the All-Star break.
The Portland Trail Blazers can't afford to lose more games with the playoffs fast approaching. The Trail Blazers would ideally like to avoid their lower seed from the 2020 postseason campaign that saw them battle the eventual champs in the first round.
Playing against the Celtics in their previous matchup, the Portland Trail Blazers came within one possession of taking home the win but wound up short in the final moments. Damian Lillard recorded 28 points and 10 boards, while veteran Carmelo Anthony added 25 points off the bench. The result marked their 23rd loss of the campaign.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has cooled off this month, at least by his lofty standards. Dame Dolla is averaging 21.3 points in seven appearances in April compared to his 29.8 PPG in March.
That said, his stats have nothing to do with his abilities and everything to do with the return of fellow teammates CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, who are back on the NBA hardwood.
Lillard will most likely begin firing on all cylinders again with the season about to reach its conclusion. The last time his club faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in January, Lillard tallied a team-high 35 points on a 43.5% shooting display from the field. He was automatic from the charity stripe, going 12 for 12 from the free-throw line for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard is still amongst the top three scoring leaders on the season, with a stellar average of 28.7 points on 44% shooting from the field. In addition to his scoring prowess, Logo Lillard is also dishing out 7.7 assists while collecting 4.2 rebounds per contest in 52 appearances for the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Damian Lillard; Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum; Power Forward - Robert Covington; Small Forward - Norman Powell; Center - Jusuf Nurkic
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs witnessed their modest two-game winning streak get snapped at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Completing a five-game road trip, the Spurs returned home with a 2-3 result as they lost to the Nuggets twice before winning two straight games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic, respectively.
The San Antonio Spurs witnessed five players scoring in double digits in their loss to the Raptors. Derrick White tallied a team-high 25 points, while veteran Patty Mills chipped in with 23 points. Gregg Popovich's men were out-hustled on the glass 54-42, while also conceding 13 fast-break points to their counterparts.
Heading into this matchup, the San Antonio Spurs are comfortably positioned for the play-in tournament. However, they will undoubtedly aim for a higher seed in the coming weeks to avoid such a scenario.
Key Player - DeMar DeRozan
The San Antonio Spurs will look to DeMar DeRozan to help turn things around. DeRozan has increased his production from the floor this month, averaging 23.8 points per game in eight appearances so far. He is also generating offense with his playmaking abilities, adding 7.3 assists per contest.
Deebo has produced five 20+ point outings in April and remains their best bet to end the season on a positive note. The Spurs have a history of excellence that spans the last two decades. The franchise will be eager to return to the playoffs this campaign after missing out last year.
DeRozan is averaging 21.1 points, 7.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 46 games for the San Antonio Spurs this season. He is shooting an efficient 49.7% from the field and 87.9% from the free-throw line.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dejounte Murray l Shooting Guard - Derrick White l Small Forward - Keldon Johnson l Power Forward - DeMar DeRozan l Center - Jakob Poeltl
Trail Blazers vs. Spurs Match Prediction
This game could go down to the wire with both teams hungry for a win. Heading into this matchup, the San Antonio Spurs are below .500 on the season. That could serve as ample motivation for them to display a game-winning presentation at home. DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray hold the key to Spurs' success in this fixture.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers boast of a top-tier offense which they can use to hammer down their opponents in Friday night's contest. A monster performance by Damian Lillard may be on the cards with the team looking to its leader to get them back on the winning path. On that note, we predict the Portland Trail Blazers will win this contest.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs. Spurs?
The game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs will be telecast on KENS 5 (Spurs) and NBC Sports Northwest (Trail Blazers). Fans can also live stream the game via the NBA League Pass.
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