Two playoff teams from opposing conferences will meet in Portland on Sunday night when the Trail Blazers host the 76ers. 

Heading into the match-up, the Sixers sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-13 record, while the Blazers are positioned in the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 20-16 record. Both teams will be battling for playoff positioning, as the Sixers will be looking to get homecourt advantage by securing a top-four seed in the East, while the Blazers will be fighting just to hold on to a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive West. 

The meeting between the two teams is the first of the season, and they will also meet one more time in late February in Philadelphia. This game is the last of the calendar year for both teams. 

How to watch 76ers at Blazers

  • Date: Sunday, Dec. 30
  • Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Moda Center-- Portland, Oregon
  • Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
  • Live stats: GameTracker
  • Odds: Blazers -1

Odds and analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Storylines

76ers: The Sixers enter their game against the Blazers in the midst of a five-game road trip that started in Boston on Christmas Day and spans well into next week. They have gone just 6-4 over their last 10 games while battling some health and depth issues but overall remain in the top-tier of teams in the East. Ultimately they may need to add another piece or two before the trade deadline, but by the end of the season, they plan to be one of the teams fighting to come out of the East. 

Blazers: The Blazers have been playing average ball as of late, as they have gone just 5-5 over their last 10 games. But they remain one of the most dangerous teams in the league on any given night thanks to their backcourt of Dame Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In the West, every game is important for the Blazers if they want to not only get back to the postseason but to also advance farther than they were able to last season. 

Game prediction, pick

The line likes the Blazers in this one, but barely. A -1 spread at home is virtually a push, meaning that the game could go either way. The Blazers are a solid 13-6 at home while the Sixers are just 7-10 on the road, but the Blazers are on the second night of a back-to-back after falling to the defending champion Warriors on Saturday night. With that in mind, I would give the Sixers a slight edge, unless All-Star center Joel Embiid is unable to play. He is currently listed as questionable for the contest. If he is unable to go, the advantage swings back to the Blazers.