Tip-off: Friday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: San Antonio -4, Total: 195

The Trail Blazers head to Texas on Friday night for a meeting with the defending champion Spurs.

Portland beat Milwaukee at home on Wednesday night for its third straight SU victory. The team has now won eight of its past 10 contests, but has covered in just three of those games. San Antonio, meanwhile, is coming off of a 117-116, triple-overtime loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Spurs were favored by three points in that game, and are now 2-4 (SU and ATS) in the past six contests. These teams met just four days ago, when the Blazers rolled to a 108-95 win as 9-point home favorites. When these teams met in the playoffs last season, the Spurs won the series in five games. Both teams covered in the games they won SU, and San Antonio is now 4-2 (SU and ATS) at home against the Portland over the past three seasons. This season, the Blazers are 5-1 ATS after playing two consecutive home games, and are also 4-0 ATS this season off two or more consecutive home victories. The Spurs, however, are 25-12 ATS over the past three seasons after a game where they made 12+ three-point shots, and are 17-4 ATS off a home loss in that timeframe. SF Nicolas Batum (undisclosed) is questionable for the Blazers, while PG Tony Parker (hamstring) and SF Kawhi Leonard (hand) are both doubtful for the Spurs.

Can the Spurs end Portland's win streak with a sizable victory? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. While StatFox Forecaster has a stellar 59% ATS record (71-49-1) in featured games this season, the five experts have also caught fire with a collective 62% ATS mark (48-29-2) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29. StatFox Brian is 77% ATS (13-4) during this timeframe to give him a 59% ATS record (23-16) in NBA Best Bets this season, while StatFox Gary is 67% ATS (10-5) since Nov. 29 to improve to 58% ATS (22-16) in NBA Best Bets this season. Also during this surge, StatFox Dave is 69% ATS (11-5-1).

The Blazers are playing extremely well as of late, winning three straight games behind the excellent play of PG Damian Lillard (20.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG). Lillard had 29 points and seven assists in a win over the Bucks on Wednesday, and is now averaging 25.6 PPG, 5.6 APG and 5.6 RPG over his past five contests. Lillard will really hurt the Spurs if Tony Parker is out. PF LaMarcus Aldridge (22.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG) is still this team’s best player, averaging 22.0 PPG and 12.2 RPG over the past five contests. He had 23 points and 15 rebounds against the Bucks, and could have a monster game against C Tim Duncan (15.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.3 BPG), who is likely still tired after playing 48 minutes in a triple-overtime game on Wednesday. SG Wes Matthews (16.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG) could play an increased role on offense in this game if SF Nicolas Batum (8.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.6 RPG) is forced to sit out. One guy who really stepped up in the victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday was PF Thomas Robinson (3.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG). Robinson played 29 minutes in that game, as he started for the injured C Robin Lopez (9.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG), who is out indefinitely with a broken hand. Robinson delivered in his first start of the season, scoring 15 points and also grabbing 16 rebounds. His activity around the basket on both ends will be tough for the Spurs to deal with.

San Antonio come into this meeting with the Blazers extremely tired after battling the Grizzlies in a triple overtime game just two nights ago. Tim Duncan played outstanding in that game with 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 48 minutes of action. Duncan will need to hold his own in a matchup with LaMarcus Aldridge in this game. He sat out in the loss to Portland on Monday, so it’s a little unclear on how much time he’ll spend guarding Aldridge. SG Manu Ginobili (12.7 PPG, 4.6 APG) had 21 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in 41 minutes against the Grizzlies. Ginobili will likely spend a lot of time handling the ball with PG Tony Parker (16.0 PPG, 5.3 APG) out in this game, and he will need to play well if the Spurs are going to beat this tough Blazers team. He also sat out against the Blazers in the last meeting between these teams four days ago. SG Danny Green (12.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG) will need to be on top of his game in this one with some of the Spurs starters sitting out. Green was great against Memphis, finishing the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five blocks in 52 minutes of action. Green is shooting really well recently (44.4% threes in past five games) and could be an X-factor in this contest. Keep in mind that it is always a possibility that San Antonio decides to rest its starters at any point on any given day.