Portland at San Antonio

The Portland Trailblazers were simply not ready to play the San Antonio Spurs in game one. They were off a grueling seven-game series vs. Houston, and an emotional 1-point win in the decisive game seven. They left the defense in the locker room, and San Antonio took advantage in the first half by putting up 65 points. They will be better prepared off a huge loss to make a much more assertive effort on the defensive end in this one. Game one produced a lot of points, but the key element was that the game was not played at a break-neck pace. Both teams combined for just 23 fast break points in the opener, which tells me this game is likely to produce a lot less points. There were also just 76 points scored in the paint, which means the bulk of the points were on mid-range shots, and with better defensive efforts, the game will be challenged to get over the top in game two. Portland has been a stronger defensive team off a loss where the UNDER is 5-1 in their last six when following a setback. San Antonio is 8-1 to the UNDER in their last nine when following a double-digit triumph. This one doesn't get there, so make the play on the UNDER.