Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors 11/26/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Matchup Preview (11/26/21)

Two West Coast teams, the Portland Trail Blazers (10-8) and Golden State Warriors (15-2) will battle the day after Thanksgiving at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The Warriors and Blazers are explosive offensive teams that rank highly in points per game, offensive efficiency, eFG% (effective field goal percentage), and 3P% (three-point percentage). The main difference between these two teams, though, is on the defensive end. Golden State is the best defensive team in the NBA, while Portland is one of the worst. Despite the coaching change, Portland continues to have significant issues on the defensive end. At this point, the Trail Blazers’ lack of defensive aptitude over multiple years likely does not reflect well on their franchise players, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who have been in Portland the longest. Either way, the Trail Blazers will need the Warriors to shoot poorly from the field and have an overall “off night” to grab a road win against a far superior team.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Odds

As of the time, this article was written, there were no odds available for this game. It is still well before the start of this game, and lines have been coming out sometimes even less than 24 hours before tip-off. Stay tuned, and look at the table above, which will populate when they are available.

This game has all the makings of a Warriors blowout. The Warriors match up really well with the Trail Blazers on the defensive end. The combination of the Warriors’ incredible offense and the Blazers’ miserable defense screams a double-digit margin. In the NBA, the margin of error is somewhat small considering how great every player is, but a considerable amount of events would need to take place for the Blazers to win this game, in my opinion. I like the Warriors around -5 or -6 because there is plenty of value there. It will be interesting to see where the line opens, though, as it could be even wider.

TV Schedule

Date: 11/26/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
Channel: NBA League Pass

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Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineup

PG: Damian Lillard
SG: C.J. McCollum
SF: Norman Powell
PF: Robert Covington
C: Jusuf Nurkic

Portland Trail Blazers Analysis

Portland is not terribly far away from being a contender in the Western Conference. Its biggest issue, though, is on the defensive end. The Trail Blazers have been undoubtedly a bottom-five defense in the NBA through 18 games, ranking 28th in opponent 3P% (three-point percentage) and 27th in opponent eFG% (effective field goal percentage). Luckily for the Blazers, Damian Lillard has had back-to-back strong scoring outings, dropping 39 points on the Sixers and 25 points on the Nuggets. If Lillard can continue to resemble the player he was last season and the season before, then the Blazers’ offense will bail them out of plenty of games this year. C.J. McCollum has also had some big games, which helps out when Lillard, or others, are having an off night. Ultimately, how far the Trail Blazers go this season depends on their level of motivation to improve on the defensive end. For now, they have to rely on their offense a substantial amount.

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

PG: Steph Curry
SG: Jordan Poole
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

Golden State Warriors Analysis

It isn’t easy to put into words just how impressive the Golden State Warriors have been. Their 15-2 start puts them right on pace to win 72 games, which likely will not happen since it has only happened twice in the history of the NBA. Anything is possible, though, when you have Steph Curry on your team. He has revolutionized the game, and now “half-court offense” literally means guarding him in his hip pocket on that entire side of the court, no matter if he is 35-40 feet from the bucket. The Warriors have James Wiseman and Klay Thompson returning soon, with Thompson expected to come back right around Christmas. This gives the Warriors still a large portion of the season to build up chemistry with those guys in the lineup. They are so deep, talented, and well-coached that it is hard to imagine any team knocking them off in a seven-game series, although I suppose anything could happen, especially since the playoffs are still so far away. Golden State ranks in the top five in every single important statistical category. Additionally, the Warriors rank sixth in PACE, which is somewhat surprising considering they also allow the fewest points per game to opponents while averaging the most. This cannot possibly be a fluke after 17 games: this team is absolutely terrifying.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Daily Fantasy Picks

It is no mystery that Damian Lillard has struggled so far this season. His shooting percentages have absolutely plummeted, especially his 3P% (three-point percentage). Still, we saw vintage Damian Lillard on November 20th when the Trail Blazers took on the Philadelphia 76ers. He seemed to have a breakthrough moment that might help him get back on track as he dropped 39 points on merely 21 shots. Lillard also hit five threes, which is a huge positive considering that is where the majority of the issues have stemmed from.

Andrew Wiggins has been a terrific addition for the Warriors despite his massive contract. Wiggins became a tough perimeter defender and someone who can fill it up on any given night. Still, Wiggins’ scoring output can be a bit sporadic depending on the game and matchup. For instance, in the past two games, Wiggins had 32 points and 27 points; however, in the two prior games, he merely had 12 points and 19 points. Wiggins averages 19.1 points and 4.3 rebounds on the year but can explode on any given night, making him a valuable DFS player. The key is being able to predict which games will be the explosive ones.