NBA Basketball
2026-02-09 - Philadelphia 76ers at Portland Trail Blazers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball
Monday 9th February 2025 - Scheduled 10pm
3am (British Time)
Preview
This is not expected to be a season when the Portland Trail Blazers (25-28) are capable of having a deep Playoff run, but they are getting younger players more and more experience and look on course to earn a Play In Tournament spot in the Western Conference. There is still quite a bit of work to do in order to secure a top 10 position in the Conference, but the Trail Blazers have snapped a six game losing run to win two in a row.
The All Star Break will give Portland a chance to get some key producers back onto the court, but they are likely to be a little short-handed on Monday.
Both Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija are doubts for this game and it may be in the back of the mind of the Portland Coaching staff that they do have a number of rest days coming up. That could give both Sharpe and Avdija time to return for the 'second half' of the regular season and make sure they are ready to give Portland all they need if they do force their way into the Play In Tournament as they are trending to do.
Scoot Henderson is expected back in the lineup, but the Trail Blazers will need to have a lot of respect for what the Philadelphia 76ers (30-22) bring to the court.
The 76ers could be a dangerous team in the post-season with the experience they have on the roster and they are seeing the depth begin to show up in recent games. Getting some of those players lower down the rotation important minutes can only bode well for April and May and Philadelphia are currently the Number 6 Seed in the Eastern Conference.
They have won six of the last seven games and bounced back from a defeat to win last time out.
This game is the conclusion of what has been a productive road trip and the 76ers have the Offensive firepower to push the Trail Blazers.
It is expected to be a game in which both teams have Offensive successes, but the 76ers are the healthier looking team and that can be an important factor as they also look to retain some momentum to take through the All Star Break.
Recent games have just seen the 76ers do a little better Defensively compared with the Portland Trail Blazers and one or two stops can make all of the difference. With the depth that they are now beginning to call upon with some confidence, the Philadelphia 76ers can just have those spurts within the game that leads to a narrow cover of this spread set.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road favourite.
The Pick :
Portland Trail Blazers 110-116 Philadelphia 76ers
