1* free play on the Blazers@Spurs to go UNDER...

The Portland Trail Blazers have cooled off after a torrid start to 2016 and they've lost five straight on the road as points are not coming quite as easy as they used to. I think we'll see a low-scoring contest when they visit the defensively phenomenal San Antonio Spurs Thursday night.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. The Spurs' Defense - San Antonio is allowing opponents only 92.2 points per game which can be compared to a 97.1 mark for Utah which is the second best team for points against. It has held Portland to an average of 90.5 points in two meetings this season and the Blazers shot a season-low 34.1 percent from the field in a loss at Oklahoma City Monday.

2. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum's Recent Woes - The duo is absolutely vital for the Blazers offensive production but Lillard has averaged only 19.1 points on 39.1 percent shooting over the past three games while McCollum has scored 17.0 on 38.8 percent shooting in the same span.

3. X-Factor - We have seen plenty of high-scoring games in the NBA lately but nine of the Spurs last 11 have gone under the total.

Selection: This is a play on POR@SAS to go UNDER the total (Free)