The Portland Trail Blazers have been making a move in the Western Conference, as they bid for the eighth and final playoff spot. They still have ground to cover, so winnable games like the one they have on Thursday night against the New York Knicks are critical. These teams will get together at 10:05 PM ET at the Moda Center in Portland, and BetAnySports customers, who get reduced juice before the game starts, will have the opportunity to place wagers even after the game gets underway, using the state-of-the-art software available through Live Betting Ultra.

The Knicks are well out of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, with a 27-44 record (37-34 ATS). They lost at Utah by a 108-101 score on Wednesday. It should be noted that when they are playing the second end of a back-to-back set, they have gone "over" the total ten out of 13 times.

The Blazers have won eight at of their last 11, although only two of those eight victories have been by more than 11 points. They are currently 32-38 straight-up, putting them a game and a half behind the Denver Nuggets for the #8 slot in the West. The Blazers are 30-40 against the basketball pointspread, and they are 17-15 straight-up at home.

In the NBA betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, Portland is the double-digit favorite:

Portland Trail Blazers -11.5
New York Knicks +11.5

Over 213.5 points -110
Under 213.5 points -110

One of the things that has characterized the Blazers' run is their proficiency from beyond the arc. In fact, coming out of the All-Star break, they have hit 40% or better in three-point territory in 10 out of 14 games. However, they went cold against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, missing their final seven shots and losing a 93-90 verdict. Still, Damien Lillard, the All-Star point guard, has averaged over 31 points per game since the break. And Jusuf Nurkic has stepped in to make valuable contributions on the front line – something Portland didn't really have a whole lot of before.

BetAnySports patrons should know that the Knicks will be resting some of their veteran players down the stretch, and that does not necessarily mean they will sit out games. But the likes of Carmelo Anthony, the leading scorer, will be limited in terms of the minutes they will play, as the team looks at the youngsters – in particular, five rookies that they have to evaluate for next season. This is a team that has had a lot of confusion on offense this season, as head coach Jeff Hornacek has tried to implement his own philosophy, together with Phil Jackson's preferred Triangle. It has not worked.

The Knicks won the previous meeting this season, back on November 22, taking a 107-103 decision at Madison Square Garden, despite only getting eight free throws. That game looked like it was going over the total at the half, as it was 60-58, but it fell under. Portland is shooting better now, so we think it will have a better chance at going over the 213.5 points as prescribed in the NBA betting odds.

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