Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns - December 15, 2024

As the Portland Trail Blazers prepare to face the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center, they find themselves in a challenging position, fighting to snap a five-game losing streak. This matchup offers a significant test for both teams as they each navigate their recent struggles and strive to turn their seasons around.

The Suns enter this contest with a record of 13-11, having just secured a hard-fought victory against the Jazz, which might bolster their confidence heading into this game. They’ve shown an offensive capability by averaging approximately 113 points per game while shooting just under 47% from the field. With over 38% shooting from behind the arc, they’re able to stretch defenses and create scoring opportunities both inside and out. However, despite these numbers, they’ve been inconsistent lately with only four wins in their last thirteen games.

On the other hand, we have the struggling Trail Blazers. With an overall record of 8-17 and sitting on a five-game slide, their offensive stats paint a rather stark picture: they average about 106 points per game on nearly 44% shooting. Their three-point efficiency is troubling at best—hovering around 33%, which makes it harder for them to keep pace when facing more dynamic offenses like that of Phoenix’s.

Both teams struggle defensively in different ways; while Portland allows slightly more points than they score on average (given their point differential), Phoenix has also shown vulnerability but typically does better on boards with roughly 43 rebounds per game compared to Portland’s nearly 43 as well. The Suns’ ability to secure possessions will be crucial if they hope to maintain control during stretches of this game.

Oddsmakers have installed Phoenix as heavy favorites at -9.5 points due to their home-court advantage and recent performance trends against weaker opposition like Portland right now. Given that the Blazers are coming off yet another close loss—their match against San Antonio being decided by just two points—this could potentially lead them to cover that spread even if they can’t secure an outright win.

Looking closely at our expectations for this clash: I predict that Phoenix will indeed emerge victorious tonight while also covering that spread given how they’ve performed recently compared to Portland’s current woes. However, I also suspect that both teams may find scoring tougher than anticipated in what could be seen as a grind-it-out contest—especially since neither squad has excelled defensively but possesses varying degrees of inconsistency offensively.

Thus, I’m inclined towards betting on the total going under tonight; perhaps somewhere below that initial set mark of 225—but not so far under that we’d expect it backfiring into something absurdly low like in some prior contests where defensive intensity took precedence over scoring fireworks.

To sum up: I foresee Phoenix winning comfortably yet again against an adversary desperate for answers while remaining cautious enough not getting lulled into high-scoring back-and-forth exchanges.