The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz meet for a late-night duel on Monday.
The pregame narrative: Portland is coming off a commanding victory on Saturday and I expect it to roll Utah tonight. Bet on two of its starters — Anfernee Simons and Donovan Clingan — to produce in this +320 SGP.
Check out my Trail Blazers vs. Jazz same-game parlay predictions for Feb. 24.
Trail Blazers vs. Jazz predictions
Parlay: Trail Blazers -5.5 | Simons over 21.5 points | Clingan over 7.5 rebounds (+320)
Trail Blazers -5.5 (-113): Portland snapped its four-game losing streak in style by dismantling the Charlotte Hornets 141-88 on Saturday.
And I can’t knock the Blazers for dropping the games before that. They played the Nuggets in Denver (twice), the Timberwolves in Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before that four-game skid, Portland had won 10 of 11 games and was the hottest team in basketball.
I like what I’m seeing out of Chauncy Billups’ squad and want to get in on Portland tonight.
At 14-42, Utah sits near the bottom of the NBA standings. And two of its best players — Walker Kessler and Lauri Markannen — are currently listed as questionable for Monday’s contest.
Portland is 34-22-1 ATS this year.
SGP legs
Simons over 21.5 points (-122): Don’t be surprised if Simons goes nuclear tonight.
The guard leads Portland in points (18.5), field goal attempts (15.4) and 3-point attempts (8.1) per game, which puts us in a good spot volume-wise.
He hasn’t shot the lights out this year but has scored 20-plus points in nine of his last 15 games, clearing this mark eight times.
Utah should present a favourable matchup for Simons, too. The Jazz allow the second-most PPG to point guards and shooting guards, per Fantasy Pros.
Clingan over 7.5 rebounds (-286): It looks like Portland has found a gem with Clingan.
The 2024 No. 7 overall pick has been thrust into the starting lineup with Deandre Ayton sidelined and is thriving.
- Starter (13 games): 22.2 minutes, 10.0 rebounds
- Bench (30 games): 13.9 minutes, 5.3 rebounds
Clingan has recorded eight-plus rebounds in eight of 13 games as a starter.
That includes a 20-rebound performance against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and a 19-rebound performance against the Houston Rockets (No. 1 in rebounding rate, per NBA.com).
Utah is solid on the glass but Clingan has feasted against good teams before. This leg should be a cinch.
Picks made at 12:24 p.m. ET on 02/24/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.