The 2023-24 NBA season resumes with a bustling five-game slate including a Western Conference clash at Mode Center in Portland, Oregon. Experts bring the best Trail Blazers VS Warriors pick. Use MatchPlug’s Todays Prediction to find the NBA Predictions Tonight for the Trail Blazers VS Warriors. Predictions and Betting Preview For Portland Trail Blazers VS Golden State Warriors NBA 2023 Regular Season Venue: Mode Center, Portland, Oregon. When: Monday, December 18th, 2023 Time: 03:00 Teams to play: Trail Blazers and Warriors. NBA Expert Picks: SPREAD -5.5 Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting On The Portland Trail Blazers 1XBet Spread: +5.5 1XBet Moneyline: 3.12 1XBet Over/Under: Over 233.5 BetMGM Spread: +5.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 2.90 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 233.5 The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, 122-114. That was their fifth loss in a row. Utah shot 53.2% in this tournament, taking a 13-point lead into the first half. Portland struggled, hitting 41.7% of their shots. The Trail Blazers have been defeated twice in a row and are 2-7 in Portland this season. Portland has been held to 114 or lower points in four of the five matches during their skid. They average 106.8 points per game. Scoring has not been the Trail Blazers’ main issue, it has been defence, where Portland has permitted 123 points or more in three consecutive games. They are 24th in opponent field goal percentage (48.7%). Betting On The Golden State Warriors 1XBet Spread: -5.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.52 1XBet Over/Under: Under 233.5 BetMGM Spread: -5.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.42 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 233.5 The Golden State Warriors lost a third straight game when they were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, 121-113. The Warriors are stuck in a rut lately, not only losing three straight but have lost 12 of their last 16 matches. It is shocking to watch Golden State struggling, hitting 45.1% of their shots, 26th overall. They are 16th in three-point shooting (36.6%) but given that 40 of their average shots per game are from three-point range (40 of 90), this is not good. MatchPlug Prediction On Portland Trail Blazers VS Golden State Warriors The Warriors have defeated the Trail Blazers once this season, winning eight of the last 10 meetings, going 6-3-1 ATS. Portland is a mess presently, the kind of weakness Golden State needs to exploit. Final Prediction: Golden State Warriors spread.

The Washington Wizards visit the Footprint Center to face the Phoenix Suns in a Suns VS Wizards non-conference NBA weekend tournament. For a Sure Win Prediction Today, look to MatchPlug for the NBA Predictions Tonight for Hornets VS Heat. Predictions and Betting Preview For Phoenix Suns VS Washington Wizards 2023 NBA Regular Season Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona. Date: Monday, December 18th, 2023 Time: 02:00 Teams to play: Suns and Wizards. NBA Expert Picks: SPREAD -12.5. Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting On The Phoenix Suns 1XBet Spread: -12.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.15 1XBet Over/Under: Over 245.5 BetMGM Spread: -13.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.12 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 245.5 The Phoenix Suns are fresh off a 139-122 home defeat last time they faced the New York Knicks and it’s hard to win permitting 76 points in the second half. Phoenix played well offensively going 47-of-90 (52.2 percent) overall, 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from three and 21 trips to the charity stripe. Phoenix has been a middle-of-the-road offensive team as it is 12th in the NBA with 115.4 points per game scored. Their defense is somewhere around average as they are 17th in basketball with 114.2 points per game conceded. Betting On The Washington Wizards 1XBet Spread: +12.5 1XBet Moneyline: 8.05 1XBet Over/Under: Under 245.5 BetMGM Spread: +13.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 6.50 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 245.5 The Washington Wizards are off a solid 137-123 home win over the Indiana Pacers and scoring 30+ points in three different quarters helps. Washington was electric shooting the ball being 52-of-92 (56.5 percent) from the field, 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) from beyond the arc and 16 free-throw attempts. The Wizards have been scoring shots at a good level as they are in 9th place with 116.8 points per game. Their defense is appalling, falling last in league with 126.8 points per game. MatchPlug Prediction Phoenix Suns VS Washington Wizards Heat  The Suns are attempting 26.7 free throws per game while the Wizards shoot 21.5 times at the charity stripe each match. Expect Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to explode offensively in this game and cover the spread easily. Final Prediction: Phoenix Suns Spread.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets will play today at the Fiserv Forum. Tip-off for Bucks VS Rockets is by 7:00 p.m. ET. Keep reading for NBA Betting predictions picks, odds, and Sure Tips for the Bucks VS Rockets game, brought to you by MatchPlug. Follow us closely for full coverage of this contest. Predictions and Betting Preview for Milwaukee Bucks VS Houston Rockets 2023 NBA Regular Season Venue: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When: Sunday, December 18th, 2023 Time: 21:30 Teams to play: Bucks and Rockets.  NBA Expert Picks: SPREAD -7.5. Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting On The Milwaukee Bucks 1XBet Spread: -7.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.457 1XBet Over/Under: Over 229.5 BetMGM Spread: -6.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.36 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 229.5 The Milwaukee Bucks are headed by PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averages 32.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per match. Other Bucks to pay attention include PG Damian Lillard (24.8 PPG and 7.0 APG), C Brook Lopez (13.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG), and SF Khris Middleton (12.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG). Milwaukee scores 123.3 points per game (2nd) and shoots 50.0 percent overall (2nd), including 38.1 percent from the three-point range (6th). The Bucks knock down 76.9 percent of its foul shots (21st) and average 43.8 rebounds per game (18th). They rank 7th in offensive rating, 18th in defensive rating, and 4th in pace (schedule-adjusted), per Dunks and Threes. Betting On The Houston Rockets 1XBet Spread: +7.5 1XBet Moneyline: 3.425 1XBet Over/Under: Under 229.5 BetMGM Spread: +6.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 3.20 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 229.5 The Houston Rockets are paced by center Alperen Segun, who averages 19.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Other players to watch are SG Jalen Green (17.8 PPG and 4.5 RPG), PG Fred VanVleet (16.4 PPG and 8.5 APG), and SF Dillon Brooks (13.8 PPG). Houston scores 109.5 points per game (27th) and shoots 4.57 percent (24th), including 36.1 percent from deep (19th). They convert 76.4 percent of their free-throw attempts (24th) and average 46.1 rebounds per game (4th). The Rockets rank 23rd in offensive rating, 4th in defensive rating, and 26th in pace (schedule-adjusted), per Dunks and Threes. MatchPlug Prediction On Milwaukee Bucks VS Houston Rockets Houston’s defence will shine again today, stymying Milwaukee’s explosive offence. The Rockets are second place in opponent effective field goal percentage (49.8%) and hold its opponents to the lowest three-point percentage in the league (31.2%). It is also hard to score around the basket (8th in opponent rim FG%). With Houston having an extra rest day, analysts expect them to show up on the ends of the court, keeping the score close enough to cover their game with the Bucks. Final Prediction: Houston Rockets Spread.

The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans play round two of their game in a Spurs VS Pelicans matinee set for 3:30 p.m. EDT. The difference between round one and today’s match is that this contest will hold in Frost Bank Center. Despite the venue, the Pelicans have six straight wins against the Spurs. For a Sure Win Prediction Today, MatchPlug has the NBA Predictions Tonight for Spurs VS Pelicans. Predictions and Betting Preview For San Antonio Spurs VS New Orleans Pelicans 2023 NBA Regular Season Venue: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas. Date: Sunday, December 18th, 2023 Time: 21:00 Teams to play: Spurs and Pelicans. NBA Expert Picks: SPREAD -7.5. Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting on the San Antonio Spurs 1XBet Spread: +7.5 1XBet Moneyline: 3.87 1XBet Over/Under: Over 238.5 BetMGM Spread: +7.5 BetMGM Moneyline: Under 237.5 BetMGM Over/Under: 3.60 The San Antonio Spurs caught 18 consecutive losses on Friday night. But, their franchise-record stretch of failure ended, when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115. Devin Vassell had 36 points, which gave the Spurs a 20-point lead in the first that they never gave up. Meanwhile,  San Antonio scaled to 24th in defensive rating, even with the losses piling up. Them being one of the best teams in preventing offensive rebounds helps. However, there are still many holes in San Antonio’s defense. They are one of the worst teams at forcing three-point misses and even with Victor Wembanyama’s masterful shot-blocking powers, opponents shoot 65.1% at the rim. Betting On The New Orleans Pelicans 1XBet Spread: -7.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.389 1XBet Over/Under: Under 238.5 BetMGM Spread: -7.5 BetMGM Moneyline: Over 237.5 BetMGM Over/Under: 1.30 Getting six consecutive head-to-head victories, all since 2022, says a lot about how the New Orleans Pelicans’ matches tend to end. Especially after the Pelicans won all six ATS. They have won three in a row after defeating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 and will want to end their three-game road trip on a positive note. Their success will begin with the NBA’s 12th-best defensive rating, per NBA.com. On the other hand, the Pelicans are 15th in offensive rating. Friday’s match was disappointing compared to the 121 points they scored against the Minnesota Timberwolves (the league’s top defense) and 142 against the Wizards. New Orleans which averages the fifth-most free throw attempts per game, will want to get 120 points again in San Antonio. MatchPlug Prediction For San Antonio Spurs VS New Orleans Pelicans  San Antonio’s single edge in this game will end at the rim offensively. Other than that, New Orleans would have beaten them in every other way. Fans can expect the Pelicans to defeat the Spurs by double-digits again, even in Texas. Final Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans Spread.