It’s been nearly nine years since the Atlanta Hawks posted a victory in Portland. Head coach Quin Snyder is hoping this is the year the drought finally ends.
The Hawks (20-22) conclude their four-game road trip when they visit the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (19-22) at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday. Atlanta has lost its last eight contests in “The City of Roses,” last winning when it outlasted the Trail Blazers 109-104 in overtime on Feb. 13, 2017.
After beginning their trek with triumphs over the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, the Hawks were trounced 141-116 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Portland is looking to avoid a third consecutive setback after losing to the New York Knicks 123-114 at home on Sunday and the Warriors 119-97 on the road two days later.
Seven other games are on the NBA’s Thursday evening schedule, one of which is a matchup between the Boston Celtics (24-15) and Miami Heat (21-19) at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Kaseya Center. The Celtics have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, including a 129-116 home victory last month, and four straight in Miami.
There are 10 games on the NHL slate, with one pitting the Vancouver Canucks (16-25-5) against the Columbus Blue Jackets (20-19-7) at 7 p.m. ET at Nationwide Arena. The Canucks, who edged the Blue Jackets 4-3 at home earlier this season, are looking to halt their eight-game slide (0-6-2) as they conclude a six-game road trip.
Thursday’s busy college basketball schedule includes a Conference USA clash between UTEP (5-11) and Delaware (5-11) at 7 p.m. ET at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Del. The Miners and Fightin’ Blue Hens are both struggling as each squad has lost four of its last five contests.
The Hawks are 3.5-point favorites against the Trail Blazers in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Celtics are 2.5-point favorites against the Heat. The Blue Jackets are -168 on the money line against the Canucks and Delaware is a 1.5-point favorite against UTEP.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Thursday, Jan. 15. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Celtics at Heat
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Miami | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Celtics -143 | Expert: Derrick White Over 9.5 rebounds + assists (-128, Mike Barner)
The Celtics kicked off a four-game road trip Monday with their third loss in four overall contests, a 98-96 setback against the Indiana Pacers. But Boston won eight of its previous 10 games away from home, and the Heat lost three straight and four of five before getting past the Phoenix Suns 127-121 on Tuesday. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Celtics extending their winning streak in Miami to five games as they emerge victorious in 55% of simulations. SportsLine NBA expert Mike Barner believes Boston guard Derrick White will be a factor both on the boards and setting up his teammates as he has averaged more than five rebounds and five assists over his last 13 games, combining for at least 10 eight times in that span.
Hawks at Trail Blazers
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Portland | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Trail Blazers +3.5 (-107) | Expert: Nickeil Alexander-Walker Over 20.5 points (-118, Mike Barner)
The Trail Blazers have split their 20 home games this far this season but had a nice run of success at the Moda Center prior to Sunday’s loss to New York, winning five straight on their own court. Several of those victories came against formidable opponents, as they defeated Boston by six points in late December and beat the Houston Rockets twice in a span of three days last week. They may not hand Atlanta its ninth consecutive loss in Portland, but the SportsLine Projection Model feels the Trail Blazers will keep it close as its simulations have them covering the spread 56% of the time. Barner thinks Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker will continue to produce offensively, as the 27-year-old has stepped up during the absences of Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles) and Zaccharie Risacher (knee) by scoring at least 22 points in each of Atlanta’s last three games.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Canucks at Blue Jackets
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Columbus, Ohio | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 6.5 (+104) | Expert: Blue Jackets -1 (-111, Matt Severance)
The Canucks are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, as they are tied for 28th with 125 goals. They’ve had a lot of trouble converting of late, netting a total of five tallies over their last four games and scoring more than once in only one of those contests. Taking that into consideration, the SportsLine Projection Model thinks goals will be at a premium in Thursday’s matchup as the Under hits in more than 60% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Severance (26-12-1, +1023.5 on his last 39 spread picks involving Columbus) expects the Blue Jackets to cover the spread as the Canucks will be looking to finish their six-game road trip without any injuries as an eight-game homestand awaits them.
CBB best bets, where to watch
UTEP at Delaware
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Newark, Del. | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 127.5 (-107) | Expert: Delaware -1.5 (-110, Larry Hartstein)
Neither team is an offensive powerhouse as both are among the bottom three in scoring in Conference USA. Both also give up a fair amount of points, with the Miners allowing an average of 72.6 and the Fightin’ Blue Hens permitting 70.8 per contest. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t see either squad shutting down the other in this matchup as its simulations have the Over hitting 85.5% of the time. SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein (6-0 on his last six ATS picks involving UTEP) is backing a cover by Delaware as the Miners are 0-6 away from home and have lost their last three conference road games by double digits.
