10* play on the Portland Trailblazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers did not stand much of a chance in either of the first two games of the series in the City of Angels. They looked like a completely different teams when they earned a 96-88 win against the Clippers here at Moda Center on Saturday, and I think the Blazers will equalize this series with another home win Monday night.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Home Cookin' - Portland has won 21 of its last 25 home games and the team is shooting the ball much better in its own building averaging 107.8 points per game compared to a 104.6 average overall. The Clippers meanwhile are surrendering 3.5 points more on the road than at home and are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

2. Portland's Backcourt - C.J McCollum had totaled just 25 points in the two games in LA but broke out with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting Saturday. He was still topped by Damian Lillard who scored 32 points and the duo hustled exemplary on defense as well holding the Clippers' starting guards CP3 and J.J Reddick to a combined 31 points.

3. X-Factor - The Clippers' DeAndre Jordan is just 12-of-34 from the stripe in the series. That's a lot of wasted buckets and I don't see that number improving with the pressure mounting up.

Selection: This is a play on the Portland Trail Blazers (10*)