Portland at Atlanta

Portland is the #3 seed in the West, but is a big dog here. They are #8 in the NBA in points scored, #4 in rebounds and #6 in points allowed. Portland held a Cleveland team to 40.0% shooting in Wednesday's 99-94 road defeat. LeMarcus Aldridge had 38 points and 11 boards. Aldridge has totaled 64 points in two games since deciding to delay thumb surgery until after the season. The Blazers are 13-6-1 ATS when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. Atlanta knows how to play defense too, leading the NBA in scoring defense at 96.3 points per game. Atlanta is 12-5 UNDER the total against the Western Conference and 13-5 UNDER playing on one day of rest, while Portland is 5-1 UNDER against a team with a winning record. The road team is 4-1 ATS when they meet, plus 8-1 UNDER the total and this has all the makings of a close, defensive battle. Play Portland and the game total UNDER.