Warriors vs. Trail Blazers NBA expert prediction and odds for Thursday, April 11 (Back Warriors on road)
Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Golden State Warriors' matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
By Peter Dewey
The Golden State Warriors picked up a massive win on Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Lakers, improving their playoff odds from +225 to +105 with the No. 8 seed suddenly in play.
Golden State could make a major jump on Thursday alone with the Sacramento Kings also in action, as the Warriors are on their tail in the Western Conference play-in tournament picture.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers are just 2-8 in their last 10 games and have more motivation to lose for a better draft pick than win these closing games of the regular season.
How does that factor into the betting market with Golden State set as a major road favorite?
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Let’s break down the odds, key plates and my best bet for Thursday’s matchup:
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers odds, spread and total
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers how to watch
- Date: Thursday, April 11
- Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Moda Center
- How to watch (TV): NBC Sports Bay Area, Root Sports Northwest
- Warriors record: 44-35
- Blazers record: 21-58
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers injury reports
Warriors injury report
- Draymond Green – questionable
- Klay Thompson – questionable
- Dario Saric – questionable
Blazers injury report
- Malcolm Brogdon – out
- Toumani Camara – out
- Jerami Grant – out
- Shaedon Sharpe – out
- Anfernee Simons – out
- Matisse Thybulle – out
- Robert Williams III – out
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers key players to watch
Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson: The four-time champion is heating up at the right time for Golden State, averaging 23.6 points per game while shooting 44.0 percent from 3 in his five games in April. With Thompson back in the starting lineup, Golden State is looking to make a major run as a lower seed this postseason.
Portland Trail Blazers
Scoot Henderson: The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is coming off a 19-point, 15-assist effort in his last game, and he’s starting to show why he was such a highly-touted prospect last offseason. On the season, Henderson is averaging 13.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from 3.
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers prediction and pick
The Warriors are a must bet in this spot for multiple reasons.
First off, the team is playing some of its best basketball of the season, ranking sixth in offensive rating, fifth in defensive rating and sixth in net rating over its last 10 games.
Now, it gets a Portland team that has nothing to play for but the No. 1 pick on Thursday.
The Warriors are elite as road favorites, going 15-5 against the spread – the second-best mark in the NBA.
Given what’s at stake for the Warriors (a real shot at the No. 8 seed), I don’t expect them to take this game lightly.
After struggling on the road last season, Golden State has flipped the script to become one of the best road teams in the NBA this season. Trust this veteran team to keep things rolling with the playoff on its mind.
Pick: Warriors -13.5 (-112)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.