Damian Lillard Will Outscore Devin Booker in Potential Playoff Showdown
By Peter Dewey
If I’ve learned anything over the past 24 hours, it’s not to bet against Damian Lillard. I’ll admit it, I thought Dame was due for a down game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, but he proved me wrong, scoring 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
Well played, Dame. Well played.
Last night's performance in the win over the Jazz was Lillard’s sixth consecutive game with 30 or more points, and he has a player prop projection of 27.5 points on WynnBET against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. The over (-120) is favored to the under (+100), which shows Vegas is backing Dame during his hot stretch that has gotten the Portland Trail Blazers up to the No. 5 seed in the West.
Portland and Phoenix will face off in one of my favorite matchups on Thursday’s slate, and I think that Lillard will get the best of his matchup with Devin Booker. DBook has been hot in his own right, as he’s scored 30 or more points in five of his last seven games. WynnBET set it’s prediction for Booker’s points on Thursday at 26.5 with the over (-120) being similarly favored as Lillard to the under (+100).
Two guys that are hot as of late with major playoff implications on the line? The NBA has done it again with the late-season schedule.
Dame and the Blazers have a little more on the line than Phoenix in this one, as they could lock up a top-six seed in the West with a win. With a loss, it’s still possible they could face these same Suns in the first round.
Phoenix certainly wants to push the Jazz for the No. 1 seed, but the Suns are in a good spot come playoff time. Still, Phoenix might have to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, and the defending champs have won three straight without LeBron James in the lineup. That’s not ideal territory to be in.
There's lot to play for on both sides. But I’ve learned my lesson. Playoff time is Dame Time, and Lillard has been blazing hot as of late. He’s shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 50.5 percent from 3-point land over his last six games. He also just lit up one of the league’s best defensive units.
Despite his 34-points game last time out, Booker had shot a combined 8-for-26 in his two previous outings. Dame hasn’t scored less than 22 points since April 11 and Booker has done it twice in his last three games. Give me Dame to get the best of this head-to-head matchup regardless of the outcome of the game.