Vegas Play of the Day: Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trailblazers

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, April 23, 2016 | 1:07 p.m.

We've reset the Play of the Day with fresh bankrolls and turned it into a yearly competition. Our three sports writers have re-started with $10,000 bankrolls to continue using on odds from the South Point.

Portland Trailblazers moneyline minus-105 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: $840 to win $800

I liked Portland’s chances to compete in this series at the start of the playoffs, and don’t think a pair of losses at the Staples Center should be enough to dissuade me. Not when the Trailblazers shot 36 percent from the field, with leading scorers Damian Lilliard and C.J. McCollum throwing up the most egregious bricks.

Los Angeles has played solid defense, but it’s not a shutdown squad on that side of the court. Portland is going to break through one of these games, and a return to the Moda Center feels like where it will happen.

Home court advantage might be shrinking overall in the NBA, but Portland is one place where it still plays a large factor. The Trailblazers split two meetings with the Clippers at home in the regular season, but held a 9-point scoring advantage.

The Trailblazers might not take this to a seventh game as I originally predicted, but they aren’t getting swept either.

Current Standings (as of July 1): Brewer (45-36-2, $12,130), Bern (30-36, $6,895), Keefer (42-54-2, $5,790)

Lifetime standings: 2014-15 Champion Bern (109-110-1), Brewer (114-123-4), Keefer (125-136-4)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.