Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season thus far. With Dame back healthy and playing well, the Blazers have shot up to the top of the Western Conference.
Lillard will now lead his Blazers into Brooklyn for a duel with Kevin Durant and the Nets, who are back in a slump after showing some signs of improvement under new coach Jacque Vaughn.
Elsewhere, there are just two other games on the NBA schedule. The streaking Kings will be keen to get their fourth game in a row as they take on the slumping Spurs. And the Clippers will be out to crush the injury-hit Pistons.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all three games on a relatively light NBA slate.
Brooklyn Nets @ Portland Trail Blazers
After picking up some momentum under new coach Jacque Vaughn, the Nets have slumped to another two-game losing streak, with blowout defeats to the struggling Lakers and the Kings.
Kyrie Irving remains away from the team and likely won’t be back until Sunday, so Kevin Durant will likely have to continue carrying the brunt of the offensive burden for Brooklyn.
Ben Simmons has returned to the lineup during the last few games, but the Nets defence continues to struggle. They surrendered 116 points to the slumping Lakers, who were without LeBron James, and gave up a whopping 153 points to the Kings.
The Nets will now have to find a way to contain the West-leading Blazers, who are now 10-4 on the season after winning four of their last five games. Damian Lillard has been back to his best after missing most of last season due to injury. The 32-year-old point guard is averaging 27.9 points and 6.6 assists per game.
And Lillard is getting a lot of help from Anfernee Simons (22.3 PPG) and marquee offseason acquisition Jerami Grant, who is averaging 26 points on 53 per cent shooting in seven games this November.
Betting Tip: Portland Trail Blazers Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 2.05
San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings
The Spurs are having a disastrous November. They have lost seven of their last eight games, with back-to-back defeats to the Warriors and Blazers to begin their five-game West coast road trip.
San Antonio’s struggles were widely expected after they traded away All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray in the offseason.
Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Jakob Poeltl have been playing well , but the overall quality of the team has not been good enough.
The Spurs could have a tough time stopping the streaking Kings, who extended their winning run to four games after smashing the Nets by 32 points.
The duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis has been playing impressively this season, and they’re getting help from their supporting cast. Kevin Huerter, who they traded for in the offseason, is averaging 16.8 points and shooting a sizzling 52 per cent on 7 3-pointers per game.
However, the Kings could be without rookie Keegan Murray, who is questionable to play with a back injury. Murray is averaging 12 points this season.
Betting Tip: Sacramento Kings Asian Handicap -6.50 @ 1.87
Detroit Pistons @ LA Clippers
The Detroit Pistons have dropped to dead-last in the East at 3-12 as they’ve lost their last four games in a row. They’ve been without young star Cade Cunningham (19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists per game) for the last three games with left shin soreness and is set to sit out again. And big man Isaiah Stewart is also out with a toe injury, which has hurt their depth even more.
Rookie Jaden Ivey is doing his best to keep Detroit competitive. The 20-year-old guard is averaging 16 points and 4 assists on the season. But without Cunningham, the Pistons are going to struggle to produce many NBA 2022 highlights.
The Pistons will next take on the Clippers, who suffered a narrow 103-101 defeat to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks last time out. Paul George snapped out of his recent shooting slump with 23 points, but he committed 10 turnovers.
George is listed as questionable to play against the Pistons with a left hand injury, which would be a big blow to the Clippers’ NBA 2022 betting odds. Luke Kennard is also doubtful to play with a calf problem.
But the Clippers are loaded with capable wings, with the likes of Nicolas Batum, Norman Powell and Terance Mann all ready to step into the starting line-up.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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