Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Suns at Blazers: Preview

After winning eight of nine games, the Phoenix Suns enter Friday’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on a two-game losing streak, including a blown lead at home (112-108) against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately for them, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Clippers one night later to remain in the No. 7 spot and push the Suns down to the No. 9 spot, just a tie-breaker away from the No. 8 spot. Portland, on the other hand, is getting back to its winning ways after getting a healthy LaMarcus Aldridge back in the lineup. Winners of their last four, the Blazers can make a push for the No. 4 spot in the West with a win against the Suns. With playoff hopes and positioning on the line, expect Friday night’s game at the Moda Center to have a playoff-like atmosphere.

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AccuScore has Portland as 62.3 percent favorites to win this matchup. The average score after 10,000 simulations is 107-104, with Portland covering the -4.5 spread in exactly 50 percent of simulations. There is a 52.2 percent chance the total score stays UNDER 213. The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the Blazers’ last 9 games when playing at home against the Suns.

Suns at Blazers: Betting Trends

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Suns’ last 5 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Suns’ last 5 games on the road.
• The Suns are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games on the road.
• The total has gone UNDER in 12 of the Suns’ last 17 games when playing the Blazers.
• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the Suns’ last 9 games when playing on the road against the Blazers.
• The Suns are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against the Blazers.
• The total has gone UNDER in 12 of the Blazers’ last 17 games when playing the Suns.
• The Blazers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing the Suns.
• The Blazers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games when playing the Suns.

Projected Leaders

Eric Bledsoe: 17 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds

Goran Dragic: 17 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds

LaMarcus Aldridge: 22 points, 10 rebounds

Damian Lillard: 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds

What to Watch For

This game will be won or lost at the three-point line. The Suns lead the league with an average of 9.5 three-pointers made per game, while the Blazers lead the league in defending the three-point line. The Blazers allow just 6.4 made three’s per game, and an average of 19.3 points per game from three-pointers. Over the last two games, the Suns are a dismal 16-64 from beyond the arc. They shot 71-162, nearly 44 percent from distance, in the four games prior to that.

Phoenix, however, has an advantage if they can rebound well and run often. They are No. 2 in the league in fastbreak efficiency, a category in which Portland is average defensively.

Dragic has been an absolute beast against the Blazers this year, averaging 23.7 points, 6.7 assists, 52.9 percent field-goal shooting and 58.3 percent from three-point line in three games.

AccuScore has 4-star picks across the board on NBA games tonight: so take a look at our NBA Expert Picks