3 Suns-Blazers Bets for Wednesday Night

The Phoenix Suns play host to the Portland Trail Blazers tonight hoping for a much-needed W in the win column.

The Suns, previously losing to Portland to begin the regular season, are hoping for a slice of revenge at Mortgage Matchup Center while Damian Lillard and the Blazers are hoping to continue a surprisingly fun start to the season.

Three of the best bets we could find for tonight:

UNDER 228.5 Total Points

Matt Moore, Action Network: "I am going with the Under 228.5 in this matchup. I actually project this total all the way down to 221, which gives us a huge 7.5-point margin of mathematical value on the board.

"With Portland's defense legitimately playing at a top-10 level and Phoenix's primary scorers historically struggling to navigate drop coverage, the offensive possessions are going to grind down.

"I fully expect the Suns to step up and positively regress on the defensive end, forcing this game into a much tighter, lower-scoring affair than the current market total implies."

Damian Lillard OVER 2.5 Three-Pointers Made

Peter Dewey, SI: "Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard is averaging 19.3 points per game this season, but he’s shooting under 40 percent from the field and just 32.7 percent from 3.

"That has led to some lower scoring props for the All-Star, and I think he’s in a great spot to dominate from beyond the arc against the Phoenix Suns. This season, the Suns are dead last in the league in opponent 3-point percentage and 29th in opponent 3s made per game, which propelled Lillard to a huge showing against them in the season opener.

"Dame was 6-for-10 from deep in that game, and he still has three games this season with at least three made shots from beyond the arc.

"I’ll buy him at this price after a 1-for-5 night from deep in a win over Denver his last time out."

Moneyline: Suns

Napier Montgomery, Pickswise: "I was tempted to press even harder on Phoenix because this team is the epitome of a value bet, even if everything on the surface suggests otherwise. There are two major factors at play here. First, Phoenix has been dreadful from a betting perspective. The Suns have won just once and are 0-5 against the spread. Compare that with Portland, which is playing at home and sporting a 5-1 record -- 4-2 against the number. That's already enough to make the Trail Blazers considerably more appealing to the man on the street.

"Then there's the small matter of Portland absolutely torching Phoenix in a 41-point rout when these teams met on opening night. Surely the Suns should be catching a substantially higher price this time around? Well, here's the kicker. Phoenix opened at +155 on the look-ahead line for that first meeting before closing at +140. Despite everything that's happened since, the Suns have been priced as low as +162 for this rematch. Think about that. Phoenix hasn't covered a game, Portland has been rolling, and the Trail Blazers just demolished this very opponent by 41 points. Yet the market hasn't adjusted nearly as dramatically as you might expect.

"We play numbers, not teams, and this is precisely the sort of discrepancy that gets my attention. The Suns look like a terrible proposition until you examine the price and the circumstances surrounding it. That's where the value lies. I expect a considerably different outcome in Portland this time around. Phoenix is an awfully tempting underdog and I am happy to move in hard on the upset bid to get the Suns on the board finally with their first cover done with style."

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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