NBA Weekend Betting - Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz

by Charles Jay

Portland Trail Blazers (12-5 SU, 10-7 ATS) at Utah Jazz (8-7 SU, 7-8 ATS)

(Records are good through Thursday; please check Friday's results)

Saturday, November 28 - 9 PM ET

Here are some of the head-to-head NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• PORT has won and covered five of the last eight meetings
• Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
• UTAH has won and covered four of the last five meetings as the home team
• PORT has had the shooting edge in five of the last eight meetings
• PORT has had the rebounding edge in four of the last five meetings
• PORT has made more three-pointers in each of the last eight meetings

You see on that list that the Blazers have made more threes in every one of the last eight meetings with the Jazz. Utah does not shoot three-pointers all that often; in fact, they have made only 3.5 per game (28th in NBA) and only eight in the last three games. That will persist until they get Kyle Korver back off the injured lost, but it hasn't really hurt them that badly, as they've won four of the last five.

Portland went into the weekend only one game in back of the overall lead in the Western Conference. You have to admire what this team has created, which is a true ensemble with an able leader at the head of it in Brandon Roy, who's averaged 19.4 points a game. Both Roy and Andre Miller have very good assist-turnover ratios.

Greg Oden has become more of a force in the middle in his second full NBA season, averaging 2.4 blocks a game and shooting 64% from the floor (11.7 ppg).

Carlos Boozer had 28 points the other night for the Jazz against Chicago, with understudy Paul Millsap adding 12 points and nine rebounds. These two also spend time on the court together, meaning that Utah has the ability to pound other teams, and if they can get Millsap in there to defend LaMarcus Aldridge (Boozer is not a real stopper), they may be in good shape. Watch Mehmet Okur, who's got a perimeter game, try and draw Oden outside.

Portland will come into this game off a home game against Memphis, while the Jazz have had rest, and are harboring some feelings of revenge for the last time these teams met, where Portland walloped Utah by a 125-104 count.