The Portland Trail Blazers are almost out of the mix for the pay-in tournament in the Western Conference, sitting 3.5 games back of the No. 10 seed with just nine games to play.
If they want any chance, pulling off a home upset over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night is a good way to start. Portland is an underdog in this game with Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant already ruled out, but that gives us an interesting look into the prop market.
Here’s how I’m betting on Damian Lillard and Nikola Vucevic on Friday night:
Bulls vs. Blazers best NBA prop bets
- Damian Lillard UNDER 35.5 Points
- Nikola Vucevic UNDER 3.5 Assists
Damian Lillard UNDER 35.5 Points
Lillard has been on a scoring rampage this season, but this number is a little too high for my liking on Friday.
In Lillard’s last 11 games since scoring 71 points against the Houston Rockets, he’s cleared this total just four times, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from 3.
With Simons and Grant out, the Bulls can blitz Lillard and dare others to beat them. Patrick Beverley will likely get the start on Lillard, and he’s held Dame to less than 36 points in 25 of their 27 career matchups against each other.
This number is simply too high for Dame facing the NBA’s No. 5 defense.
Nikola Vucevic UNDER 3.5 Assists
Nikola Vucevic has been a willing passer this season, but he’s picked up four or more assists in just three of his last 10 games.
The Blazers have listed Jusuf Nurkic as questionable for this game, which could be a good sign for Vucevic’s scoring, which may be needed with DeMar DeRozan also listed as questionable for Chicago.
Vuc is averaging 3.3 assists per game this season, so I’m not sold on him soaring past this number after several games that he’s fallen short.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Author: Peter Dewey
March 24, 2023 | 2:11 pm
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