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NBA
Monday, December 31 9 Free Picks, all backed by In-Depth Analysis, plus more Rated Selections from the nation’s premier sports analysts, are available daily at PickNation.com Portland (18-12, 19-11 ATS) at Utah (16-16, 14-16-2 ATS) The red-hot Trailblazers take a league-leading 13-game winning streak into Salt Lake City for a divisional battle against the struggling Jazz.
Portland made it 13 in a row with Sunday’s 97-72 victory over the 76ers as a 6½-point home favorite. The Blazers, who are 12-1 ATS during their incredible run, have the longest winning streak in the NBA this season and the second longest streak in franchise history. Utah has dropped consecutive games, falling to the Lakers on the road (123-109 as a five-point underdog) and Celtics at home (104-98 as a six-point pup). The Jazz have lost 11 of their last 14 games overall, and they’re just 4-11 ATS in their last 15. However, 10 of their last 14 outings have come on the road. The straight-up winner is 23-3 ATS in Portland’s last 26 games and 24-2 ATS in Utah’s last 26 outings. One of the victories during the Blazers’ long winning streak came at Utah on Dec. 11, a shocking 97-89 win as a 14-point underdog. Three days after that, Portland hosted the Jazz at the Rose Garden and won 99-91 as a six-point home pup. Including the two victories this season, the Blazers are on positive streaks of 4-1 SU and 5-1 ATS against the Jazz. On the downside, they’re still just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 visits to Salt Lake City. Although the Blazers have won three straight road games, they’re only 3-9 on the highway this season (6-6 ATS). Meanwhile, despite Saturday’s loss to Boston, the Jazz are 10-3 at home (8-3-2 ATS). Utah is 2-7 ATS in its last nine against Northwest Division rivals. Both of this year’s head-to-head meetings stayed under the total, and the under is 6-2 in the last eight battles in Salt Lake, 7-3 in Portland’s last 10 overall and 7-4 in Utah’s last 11 overall. ATS ADVANTAGE: PORTLAND and UNDER Al DeMarco, General Manager of PickNation.com, is a 25-year veteran of the handicapping industry who is also the featured handicapping analyst on Comcast Sports TV in New York and Chicago and a regular contributor on Fox Sports, MSNBC and The Sporting News. Read his Daily Blog for his gambling insight, tips and observations at PickNation.com |