Wizards vs. Trail Blazers prediction and odds for Thursday, Dec. 21 (Take Portland at home)
By Jovan Alford
In the final game tonight in the Association, the Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Washington Wizards at the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers are coming off a five-point win over the Suns on Tuesday night.
Portland would love to hand the Wizards another loss on their four-game road trip and they have lost six straight road games. The Blazers opened as 3.5-point favorites over the Wizards, but that number has moved to 4.5.
Here are the odds and our best bet for Washington-Portland:
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Wizards vs. Trail Blazers odds, spread and total
Wizards vs. Trail Blazers how to watch
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 21
- Game Time: 10 p.m. EST
- Venue: Moda Center
- How to Watch (TV): ROOT SPORTS/ROOT SPORTS Plus, MNMT2
- Wizards Record: 4-22
- Trail Blazers Record: 7-19
Wizards vs. Trail Blazers injury reports
Washington Wizards injury report
- Johnny Davis – Out
- Landry Shamet – Out
- Delon Wright – Out
Portland Trail Blazers injury report
- Shaedon Sharpe – Out
- Robert Williams III – Out
Wizards vs. Trail Blazers key players to watch
Washington Wizards
Jordan Poole: Poole is coming off an efficient shooting performance against the Kings, where he had 30 points on 10-of-18 from the field and 8-of-13 from beyond the arc. The last time Poole made eight three-pointers in a game was on Mar. 7, 2022, against Denver (32 points – 11/19 FG and 8/12 3pt). This season, the 24-year-old shooting guard is averaging 17.5 points per game on 41.6% shooting from the field and 32.5% from deep. The Blazers are excellent at defending the three-point line, so Poole must find other ways to score.
Portland Trail Blazers
Anfernee Simons: Simons is a part of the youth movement that’s taking place in Portland this season. The 24-year-old guard missed 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury earlier this season but is back to putting up shots for the Blazers. In Tuesday’s win over the Suns, Simons had 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting from the field and 2-of-7 from three-point range. The 6-foot-3 two-guard is averaging 26.4 points and 6 assists per game in his last seven games.
Wizards vs. Trail Blazers prediction and pick
The Wizards will try to snap their six-game road losing streak tonight after losing by 12 points to the Kings earlier this week. Washington is being outscored by 18.6 points per game and has allowed 130 or more points four times.
The good news for the Wizards is that Portland’s offense is ranked 29th in scoring (107.7) and 27th in ORtg (108.6). However, the Trail Blazers’ defense is better than Washington’s, which gives them a slight edge.
The Wizards are 10-6 against the spread as a road underdog and 3-2 ATS when the spread was +2 to +5. As for the Trail Blazers, they are 4-8 ATS at home this season but 3-2 ATS in their last five games at the Moda Center.
The Blazers let us down the last time they were favorites against the Jazz last week. However, I don’t believe they will do it again, as the Wizards aren’t good defensively, while the Blazers have guys such as Simons and Malcolm Brogdon who can score.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.