Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie tweeted what most NBA fans and pundits are thinking about right now regarding the Los Angeles Lakers' possible Western Conference first-round opponent.

The Purple and Gold have already clinched the number one seed in the West and is only awaiting who emerges the victor for that eighth and final playoff spot. While the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns are still in prime position, Dinwiddie believes the Lakers would be in trouble if they take on the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers in a seven-game series.

Dinwiddie addressed the elephant in the room, claiming that Blazers superstar Damian Lillard will give the Lakers hell, especially without their best wing defender Avery Bradley.

While the Lakers still have the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green to potentially shadow Lillard, the team's defense certainly is not as formidable without Bradley in tow. The 6-foot-3 defensive ace begged off from joining the bubble in Orlando to be with his son who has a history of respiratory illness.

Bradley notched 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for LA in 49 games, and was usually assigned to guard the opposing team's best player. His absence is certainly a big blow for the Lakers, especially since the Blazers backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum previously acknowledged him as the best perimeter defender in the league.

The Lakers and the Blazers, on the other hand, have had contrasting fates upon the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.

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The Lakers have gone 2-3 in their first five encounters, dropping a 113-97 verdict to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Portland, meanwhile, cruised to a 125-115 victory against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, thanks to Lillard's 45-point explosion built on 11 made triples. They improved their record to 32-38 (9th in the West) and have won three of their last four games. That collision course with the Lakers is becoming more possible.

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