Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors 12/8/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Matchup Preview (12/8/21)

This game features a tale of two teams: one team that has prospered in the midst of several injuries and another that has faltered in every way, shape, and form. It does not take a genius to figure out that the former is the Golden State Warriors, while the latter is the Portland Trail Blazers. Golden State will be hosting Portland in this matchup at the Chase Center on Wednesday, December 8th. Portland will be without its starting backcourt, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum while playing against the most dangerous team in the NBA. On the other hand, the Warriors are close to returning 3x NBA Champion, Klay Thompson and young, athletic center James Wiseman to their starting lineup. Golden State will have the rest of its core healthy for this bout, though, and should handle business with ease. The Warriors are 13-2 at home and it certainly will not be this Blazers team that hands them their third home loss.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Odds

I have a tendency to fade the Portland Trail Blazers at any given opportunity because of their lack of leadership and chemistry, and this situation is no different. Without Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, I have a hard time believing there is a number that can scare me off the Warriors against the spread. Lillard and McCollum are the Blazers’ two best players and they don’t have the depth, talent, chemistry, or intensity to play within double-digits on this year’s Golden State Warriors team without those two. Additionally, the Blazers have the worst record ATS as a road underdog in the NBA, with a record of 0-6. This is not a good basketball team, and they will continue to slide. Meanwhile, Golden State has been unbelievable at home with a record of 11-3-1 ATS. This should be a simple game to bet: anything less than double-digits and the Warriors ATS are the play.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/8/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
Channel: ESPN

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Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineup

PG: Anfernee Simons
SG: Dennis Smith Jr.
SF: Norman Powell
PF: Robert Covington
C: Jusuf Nurkic

Portland Trail Blazers Analysis

Portland is an absolute disaster as an organization and team. It has never given Damian Lillard the proper help that he has needed and it is now paying the price. Now, Lillard is sending out signals to the Blazers’ front office to go out and get Ben Simmons or some other wing defender who can substantially increase their league-worst defense. If the Blazers don’t do something about their poor play on that end of the floor, then they will undoubtedly miss the playoffs and further tear the metaphorical relationship fabric with Damian Lillard.
So far, there has been no action taken, and likely, no calls made. This has been typical for this organization over the past decade, and now, without Lillard and McCollum, the Trail Blazers could be the worst team in the NBA. This is a huge moment for this team and organization, and whatever they decide to do at this point will likely dictate the outcome of this season as well as future seasons. Still, for this game, the Blazers will probably not be competitive.

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

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

Golden State Warriors Analysis

Golden State has been an incredible team so far this season. The Warriors rank third in points per game, offensive efficiency and 3P% (three-point percentage) and second in eFG% (effective field goal percentage). They are, simply put, the best offensive and defensive team in the NBA. Led by Steph Curry, the Warriors are still not even near their potential ceiling as they don’t have the second-greatest shooter ever, and defensive menace, Klay Thompson, or James Wiseman back in their lineup. This game will not take a super strong effort for the Warriors to win. If they can keep Nurkic off the boards and defend the three-point line well, then this will be an open and shut game for Golden State.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors Daily Fantasy Picks

As mentioned in a previous article, now is the time to deploy Dennis Smith Jr into your DFS lineups. Smith will be in the starting lineup for a while longer with both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum set to miss a bit more time. In the past two games, Lillard has averaged 17 points, 6.5 assists, five rebounds, and two steals per game while playing roughly 38 minutes. He is not going to set the world on fire with his scoring ability, but just his athleticism will get him plenty of scoring and playmaking opportunities. This could also be a terrific opportunity for him to display to other teams that he could be a starter for them. It is a prime position to be in if you are Dennis Smith Jr, and I have to think he will try to be the primary scorer for the Blazers in this matchup without their two best players.

It has been nothing short of an MVP year for Steph Curry through the first fourth of the 2021-22 season. Curry has averaged 27.7 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.6 rebounds on a roughly 44/41/93 shooting split. He has done all of this without the assistance of Klay Thompson or James Wiseman. Once those two players come back, he could even become more of a runaway MVP candidate. Regardless of that, Curry should be a constant play in DFS whenever you have enough salary to afford him. This is the kind of game that Curry could have 50 points in, because the Blazers are horrendous defensively and the Warriors are at home, where they are virtually unbeatable.