Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers 11/1/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Matchup Preview (11/1/21)

Monday’s NBA slate features an “East Coast vs. West Coast” showdown between the Portland Trail Blazers (3-2) and Philadelphia 76ers (4-2). This game has two struggling superstars in Damian Lillard and Joel Embiid, who are still adjusting to this season’s officiating. Luckily for the Trail Blazers, Lillard had a strong game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday that resembled his remarkable play over the past several years. Hopefully, that marks the end of his unexpected slump. Both teams have had big wins recently. The Blazers beat the Clippers on Friday at home, while the Sixers pummeled the Hawks on Saturday. Still, Embiid’s struggles continued as he finished with merely 19 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Lillard and Embiid will eventually return to their previous MVP-candidate forms; however, it is hard to predict exactly when that will happen.

The outcome of this game is largely reliant on which team controls the pace, as the Trail Blazers and Sixers are opposites in the pace that they have played through their first few games. After a convincing 28-point win against the Hawks on Saturday, Philadelphia looks like it is starting to figure things out and should be a favorite in this one. The Sixers should not have trouble scoring on Portland, especially considering they just dropped 122 points on the Atlanta Hawks, who are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Betting Odds

The odds were not out when this article was written; however, we have an odds table here that will update as each sportsbook drops its lines.

This game will be quite interesting: the Sixers have the slowest pace in the NBA, while the Trail Blazers have the highest. The outcome will be about which team controls the game and makes the other the most uncomfortable with pace. Portland does not want to play a slow game where it has to work on defense, while Philadelphia welcomes that by moving the ball and getting good looks on offense.

The lines for this game will be hard to set because of all the different possibilities with two contrasting teams. The Sixers are a pretty solid home team and ranked third in the NBA in winning percentage at home last season, so I expect they will squeak out a win. Consider their Moneyline depending on the odds given.

TV Schedule

Date: 11/1/21
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
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 has been one of the more inconsistent teams through its first five games this season. While the Trail Blazers have a record of 3-2, they still need to be more reliable in the long term. For bettors, staying away from the Portland Trail Blazers might be the best bet right now; you never know what you will get from them. In their first game, they lost to the Sacramento Kings at home and then turned around and beat the Phoenix Suns by nearly 30 points while putting up 134. Then, Portland lost by 30 points to the Clippers and, a few days later, beat them at home by 19. Still, this team is a playoff-caliber team, as evidenced by several post-season appearances with a similar squad. However, if the Trail Blazers want to win this matchup, they need to be much more consistent, shoot the ball well from deep, and control the tempo while forcing the Sixers to play at the pace they want to play at.

Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Danny Green
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers Analysis

Ben Simmons was recently spotted back at the 76ers practice, riding a stationary bike. His timetable for returning is completely unpredictable, and Philadelphia needs to continue going about its business as if he will not be available for the foreseeable future. The Sixers have had some solid wins, including Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, but have not figured it out defensively. Simmons leaves a bigger void on that end of the floor than many wanted to admit or even realize.

Additionally, Sixers’ superstar Joel Embiid has not had the start to the season that he hoped for; however, he is still one of the best players in the NBA and has plenty of shooters and a strong supporting cast around him. Philly can grab another home win by forcing the Trail Blazers to work defensively and take up most of the shot clock. Portland does not want to play slow, so understanding that and executing should lead to a victory.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Daily Fantasy Picks

Without Ben Simmons, the Sixers’ offense has had to distribute usage more than usual. This season, Tobias Harris has stepped up in somewhat of a playmaking role as he is averaging 4.2 assists per game through the first five games of the 2021-22 season. That is on pace for the most assists he has averaged during his tenure in the NBA. Additionally, Harris is still scoring around 20 points per game, which is pretty standard for him over the past several years. Even his rebounding numbers have seen a jump recently, as he has averaged 8.6 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season. As the Sixers continue to operate without Simmons, they should rely upon Harris more and more. This year, he should have some big games. I believe this will be one of those games.

Jusuf Nurkic is putting together a fairly strong start to his season, especially in terms of DFS. He has averages of 12.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game through Portland’s first five games. Nurkic has been prone to injury the past few years, so if he can remain healthy, he will only improve as the year goes on. Keep an eye on Nurkic because he could be a huge asset at a reasonable value for not only this game, but many other games.