Trail Blazers at Clippers NBA Pick for December 30

Tuesday’s wild 10-game extravaganza around the NBA produced a number of wild scorelines. The Bucks throttled the Heat in Miami by 47 points while setting a new single-game record for made three-pointers. The Suns crushed the Pelicans by 25 points in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final scoreline may make you think, while the Kings upset the Nuggets for the second time in less than a week.

We have just six games on the docket for Wednesday, but there are some good ones. The Heat will have an immediate opportunity to exact revenge as they host the Bucks for the second straight night. The Hawks will look to stay unbeaten against the mighty Nets in Brooklyn, while the reigning champion Lakers will play their first road game of the young season in San Antonio.

The late game pits a couple of Western Conference contenders against one another. Fresh off of their upset over the Lakers on Monday night, the Trail Blazers will look for back-to-back wins at Staples Center when they visit the Clippers. LAC thrashed the Timberwolves on Tuesday night following their historic 51-point beatdown at the hands of the Mavericks on Sunday. LA is listed as a three-point favorite over Portland in Wednesday’s contest.

Will Kawhi Return?

Kawhi Leonard has missed each of the Clippers’ last two games after suffering a mouth laceration on Christmas Day against Denver. The Clips had no issues crushing Minnesota by 23 points last night without him, as Lou Williams led the way with a season-high 20 points off the bench. Paul George added 18 points in an efficient effort, while Luke Kennard started in Leonard’s place.

Whether Kawhi feels healthy enough to play tonight obviously remains to be seen. He’s officially listed as questionable, and with the Clippers playing a back-to-back, the lack of a morning shootaround means we may not hear about his status until later.

Obviously, this is something to monitor when it comes to betting on this game. Leonard is the best player on either team, and his availability is enough to swing our interest in how to attack this game from a wagering perspective.

Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard is being evaluated but “he’s going to be fine” pic.twitter.com/P3MwT8ov2X

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 26, 2020

If he’s out, the Clippers are certainly more volatile. They didn’t even show up on Sunday with the Mavs in town as they fell into a 77-27 halftime deficit on their way to their biggest margin of defeat in the history of the franchise. The Clippers have lost an awful lot of games over the years, so setting a record for futility is actually saying a lot. They bounced back nicely last night against an undermanned Timberwolves team playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, but the Blazers are a significantly more daunting foe.

Overall, the new faces have fit in pretty well with the Clippers. Serge Ibaka contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a couple of blocks in last night’s game, while Nicolas Batum has filled in nicely for the injured Marcus Morris. The Clips are 3-1 overall on the year with a mark of 3-1 against the spread, too.

Are the Blazers Legit?

Charles Barkley is on record as being a big fan of the Blazers this year. Despite the fact that Portland needed a miraculous run in the bubble just to sneak into the playoffs last season, Barkley decided to put his money where his mouth is after getting called out for saying Portland was a legit title contender. Barkley reportedly wagered $100,000 on the Blazers to win it all this season.

Damian Lillard has helped turn the Blazers into a bit of a popular team to bandwagon over the last couple of years, but this team has absolutely zero chance of winning the championship this season. Portland is off to a solid 2-1 start after back-to-back wins over the Rockets and Lakers, but this roster isn’t necessarily built to last when it comes to the playoffs. The Blazers have already allowed over 120 points in two of their three games, while they happened to catch a Laker team playing the second night of a back-to-back earlier this week.

The Blazers beat the Lakers 115-107 after Los Angeles entered the 4th quarter with an 85-84 lead.

This marks the end of the Lakers’ streak of 59 straight wins when leading after three quarters. pic.twitter.com/eZOrfdsklS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2020

Could they pull the same stunt tonight with the Clippers having played last night?

Of course. As we’ve seen already this season, any team in this league can win on any night. If the Clippers are playing without Leonard again, there’s a chance we see oddsmakers install the Blazers as favorites in this one. Still, given their lackluster defense, it’s impossible to imagine the Blazers mounting a serious run at the title later this season.

Regardless, Portland played well on Monday night. CJ McCollum is actually the team’s leading scorer with an average of 29 points per game through the first three, while Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter have been a formidable duo in the middle. Carmelo Anthony is set to return for this one after missing Monday’s game, so it will be interesting to see what Terry Stotts does with his bench rotation. Gary Trent Jr. nailed seven three-pointers on his way to 28 points against the Lakers a couple of nights ago with Anthony sidelined.

What’s the Best Bet?

If Leonard plays tonight, the Clippers should be bigger than three-point favorites. The back-to-back could throw a wrench into things, but there is no travel involved, and most of LAC’s regulars played limited minutes last night in the blowout. This team should be pretty fresh coming into this game, and I’m optimistic about Kawhi’s chances of playing after missing two games.

His questionable status makes an early bet on this game inherently risky, but that’s a wager I’m willing to take. The line is just too low as things stand right now. The Blazers are once again being overrated by the general public.

Even if Leonard doesn’t play, the Clippers have enough offensive firepower to give Portland trouble. If you would rather wait until we hear about Kawhi’s status to place your bet, then I’d recommend taking the Clippers’ moneyline. If not, go ahead and bet on LA to cover the three points at home.