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NBA betting: Trail Blazers' win over Timberwolves is biggest NBA upset in decades

Minnesota was a 19.5-point favorite over Portland

nick bromberg
Senior writer
·2 min read
28

The Portland Trail Blazers set some modern NBA betting history in a game they probably would have preferred to lose on Sunday.

The Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 in Minneapolis as 19.5-point underdogs in what’s easily the biggest upset of the season via the point spread. And according to ESPN’s research department, the Blazers are the biggest underdog to win a game in at least 30 years since the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls as 21-point underdogs in the 1991-92 season.

The loss is the third straight for a Minnesota team that’s trying to be in the top two spots in the play-in tournament. The Western Conference is a mess down the stretch and the Wolves are now in ninth in the conference. At 39-40, Minnesota is now 1.5 games back of both the Lakers and Pelicans for seventh and eighth. The Lakers beat Minnesota on Friday night.

Portland, meanwhile, is 13th among 15 teams in the West and has been one of the worst teams in basketball since the All-Star break. With the potential of making the playoffs slipping away in recent weeks, Portland made the decision to sit star Damian Lillard for the rest of the season earlier this week. Lillard hasn’t played since March 22 because of a calf injury.

Lillard was one of four Blazers starters out of the lineup on Sunday night against Minnesota. Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons also sat out as rookie Shaedon Sharpe scored 27.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 02: Drew Eubanks #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates his three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter of the game at Target Center on April 2, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Drew Eubanks and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 on Sunday. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The victory was just Portland’s second in its past 14 games as the Blazers are now 33-45 and a game back in the win column of three teams in the Eastern Conference. That’s extremely important for draft lottery positioning. If you’re into that sort of thing, of course.

At the moment, Portland has the fifth-worst record in the NBA above only the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. All four of those teams are guaranteed to have the four worst records in the NBA and have the best chances of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

The Blazers will have a 10.5% chance at the No. 1 pick if they finish at their current spot as fifth-worst team in the league while they could fall all the way to 4.5% if they end up as the eighth-worst team in the league. The ninth-worst team in the league also has a 4.5% chance at the top pick. That's a significant difference. And one Portland likely doesn't want to experience.