The Portland Trail Blazers (5-2) will visit the Phoenix Suns (6-1) in NBA action on Friday (November 4) night.
On Saturday, the same teams will play once more in Phoenix. On October 21, Portland won their first matchup at home 113-111 in overtime.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Betting Odds
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Trail Blazers vs Suns Match Details
Fixture: Portland at Phoenix
Date and Time: Friday, November 4; 10:10 pm ET
Venue: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
Trail Blazers vs Suns Key Stats
Before losing to Miami 119-98 on October 26, in a game where Damian Lillard departed in the third quarter due to a right calf strain, the Portland Trail Blazers started the season with four straight victories.
The Blazers beat Houston 125-111 last Friday but fell to Memphis 111-106 five days later without Lillard. In two games without Lillard, Anfernee Simons has scored 61 points, raising his season average to 22 ppg.
Lillard, who had played in five games and scored 31 points per game on average, will not take the court this weekend against the Suns. Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons' left foot irritation puts him in doubt.
In their previous victory over the Suns, Lillard led the Blazers with 41 points. Jusuf Nurkic is the team's second-leading scorer with 14.9 points per game, followed by Jerami Grant, who ranks fourth in the league this season with 12.3 rebounds per game.
The Suns, meanwhile, have the best record in the Western Conference and a five-game winning streak. Their victories during the current run have been by a margin of at least nine points.
Devin Booker has led the Suns in scoring in six of the team's seven games, averaging 27.7 points per outing. Booker scored 18 points in their most recent victory (116-107) over Minnesota on Tuesday, while Mikal Bridges scored 19 points, and Cam Johnson scored a team-high 29.
Phoenix is the top-ranked team, averaging 118.3 points per game while shooting 48.8%. They rank fourth in terms of points allowed on defense and fifth in points allowed on offense. Their lone loss this year came against Portland, and they lead the league with a +11.9 scoring margin.
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Trail Blazers vs Suns Best Picks and Prediction
It's difficult to have faith in Portland without Lilliard and perhaps without Simons. However, the Blazers' support cast could step up and play their best game on Friday night, as they have been playing hard this season and have to play Phoenix in back-to-back days.
There aren't many ways to explain why Portland doesn't have the advantage in this game, but everyone on the roster could enter the game with a bit more focus, as they all understand that their roles would be a little bigger than usual.
Pick: Trail Blazers +11 (-115)
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