Through 3 Quarters
The Portland Trail Blazers are giving their home crowd exactly what it was hoping to see. Three quarters in and their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Charlotte Hornets 103-86 three quarters in.
Portland has been led by point guard Damian Lillard, who so far has shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and has recorded 36 points and seven dimes. Dame is close to surpassing his season high of 39. One thing to keep an eye out for is Jusuf Nurkic's foul situation as he currently sits at four.
The top scorer for Charlotte has been point guard LaMelo Ball (17 points).
The Hornets have lost 81% of the time when they were down heading into the fourth quarter this year, so this one seems just about wrapped up.
Who's Playing
Charlotte @ Portland
Current Records: Charlotte 16-14; Portland 11-18
What to Know
The Portland Trail Blazers have the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome the Charlotte Hornets at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 17 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Charlotte will be strutting in after a victory while the Trail Blazers will be stumbling in from a loss.
Rip City came up short against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, falling 113-103. A silver lining for Portland was the play of small forward Norman Powell, who had 25 points and five assists along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Hornets didn't have too much trouble with the San Antonio Spurs on the road on Wednesday as they won 131-115. Small forward Gordon Hayward had a stellar game for Charlotte as he shot 5-for-6 from downtown and finished with 41 points and five boards.
Barring any buzzer beaters, Portland is expected to win a tight contest on Friday. Now might not be the best time to take Portland against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past three consecutive games.
Portland's defeat took them down to 11-18 while Charlotte's win pulled them up to 16-14. Allowing an average of 116.37 points per game, the Hornets haven't exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We'll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming contest.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter – Portland, Oregon
- TV: Bally Sports SE Charlotte
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $23.81
Odds
The Trail Blazers are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Hornets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Portland have won eight out of their last 12 games against Charlotte.
- Oct 31, 2021 – Charlotte 125 vs. Portland 113
- Apr 18, 2021 – Charlotte 109 vs. Portland 101
- Mar 01, 2021 – Portland 123 vs. Charlotte 111
- Jan 13, 2020 – Portland 115 vs. Charlotte 112
- Mar 03, 2019 – Portland 118 vs. Charlotte 108
- Jan 11, 2019 – Portland 127 vs. Charlotte 96
- Feb 08, 2018 – Portland 109 vs. Charlotte 103
- Dec 16, 2017 – Portland 93 vs. Charlotte 91
- Jan 31, 2017 – Portland 115 vs. Charlotte 98
- Jan 18, 2017 – Charlotte 107 vs. Portland 85
- Jan 29, 2016 – Portland 109 vs. Charlotte 91
- Nov 15, 2015 – Charlotte 106 vs. Portland 94
Injury Report for Portland
- Tony Snell: Out (Personal)
- Dennis Smith Jr.: Out (Knee)
- CJ McCollum: Out (Chest)
- Cody Zeller: Out (Kneecap)
Injury Report for Charlotte
- Ish Smith: Game-Time Decision (Covid-19)