Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers 2/24/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers Matchup Preview (2/24/22)

Despite suffering several injuries and blowing up their roster before the trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers have won four straight games against some solid competition, including the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Memphis Grizzlies. The likelihood of that, especially after completely nuking their own roster, is extremely slim, yet, here we are. Portland has a few more injuries it has to deal with, though, including the loss of starting center Jusuf Nurkic, who has been a vital contributor to the Blazers’ frontcourt, and Eric Bledsoe, Nassir Little, Damian Lillard, Keon Johnson, and Joe Ingles. Now, the Blazers are as thin as they have been all season. It’s still impressive to see how inspired they have been playing; however, that should wear off sooner versus later.

The Warriors have been the exact opposite of the Blazers, winning merely one of their past five games, with the only win coming against the pitiful Los Angeles Lakers at home. Golden State has been one of the coldest teams in the NBA, but this is a perfect opportunity to regain some confidence and break out of this slump. There are still a few injury issues, but Draymond Green and James Wiseman have been out for a while already, so it is nothing Golden State has not already dealt with. I go into more depth below about game-specific details and who I believe can cover the spread, so take a look!

Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Odds

All good things come to an end. That’s what we are about to learn with this Portland Trail Blazers team in their home matchup against the Golden State Warriors. We may be blessed with a much more favorable spread than we normally would have because of the Blazers’ win streak, the fact that they are at home, and the Warriors’ slump. The loss of Jusuf Nurkic is way too much to ignore, and the Warriors’ perimeter defense should hold Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart at bay. Trust the Warriors, and their culture, to bounce back and grab the road win.

How To Watch

Date: 2/24/22
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Moda Center – Portland, OR
Channel: TNT

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Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

PG: Steph Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Jonathan Kuminga
C: Kevon Looney

Golden State Warriors Analysis

While Steph Curry burying 16 threes in the All-Star game does not necessarily translate entirely to the outlook for the Warriors, it sure does boost confidence in not just Steph but the rest of the team as well. Golden State has been in a bit of a slump leading up to the All-Star break, dropping four of its past five, but that means we get this squad at a discount against the spread. Draymond Green and James Wiseman will still be out for Golden State, but both should be back in the lineup sooner versus later, which should motivate the Warriors to make a late-season push to hold off the Grizzlies for the two-seed in the Western Conference.

Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineup

PG: Anfernee Simons
SG: C.J. Elleby
SF: Josh Hart
PF: Justise Winslow
C: Trendon Watford

Portland Trail Blazers Analysis

Portland has had a strange season, to say the least. It has somehow secured four straight wins despite being without its top three scorers on the season (Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Norman Powell), two of which are no longer on the team. The Blazers also just lost one of their other best players in Jusuf Nurkic and will be faced to play Trendon Watford, Drew Eubanks, or Greg Brown III at the five, which immediately spells out trouble. It’s going to take a Herculean effort from Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart to keep this game even remotely close as there are just mismatches all over the floor for the Golden State Warriors. Portland is outmatched at every position and has virtually no depth, so I hardly think getting a home win here is in the cards.

Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers Daily Fantasy Picks

Speaking of Anfernee Simons, he is a terrific DFS play in this game purely based on the volume and usage he will be seeing. The loss of Jusuf Nurkic in the post immediately frees up an abundance of offense for Simons and Josh Hart. The Blazers will not want to rely on guys like C.J. Elleby, Justise Winslow, Trendon Watford, and others to pick up the slack, which could mean an incoming 40-point game from Simons to try and beat the Warriors and their elite backcourt. Simons has played incredibly well when C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard are not on the floor. Much of this has to do with the fact that he likely felt a bit contained within their offense. This newfound freedom should allow him to continue to spread his wings and grow into a potential future All-Star. His marks of 22 points, six assists, and three rebounds in 26 games as a starter make him an incredibly valuable DFS player as there are still a ton of fantasy players overlooking him.

Steph Curry is another player to give strong consideration in DFS for this matchup. I know that this seems obvious, but there are a few factors I want to highlight to explain why. First, Curry hit 16 threes in the All-Star Game, and even though there is no defense in those games, it shows that his shooting stroke is back in business. When you pair that with the fact that Portland Trail Blazers allow the fifth-most three-pointers to opposing point guards per game, you begin to see the merit in forking over a little extra money for Curry. Against the Blazers last season, Curry had averaged roughly 41 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in three total matchups. This is a new-look Blazers team, and it’s a different year, so it is by no means an apples-to-apples comparison; however, take his history against this team into serious consideration.