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The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to Southern California to face the Los Angeles Lakers. Two Western Conference teams clash at Crypto as we share our NBA odds series with a Trail Blazers-Lakers prediction and pick.
The Lakers lead the head-to-head series 130-114. Significantly, this will be the first meeting of the season. The Lakers swept the series last season, covering the spread in two of three games, including one of two at home. Overall, the Lakers are 7-3 over the past 10 games against the Blazers, including 4-1 in the last five games at Crypto.
Here are the Trail Blazers-Lakers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Lakers Odds
Portland Trail Blazers: +9 (-112)
Moneyline: +300
Los Angeles Lakers: -9 (-108)
Moneyline: -375
Over: 225.5 (-110)
Under: 225.5 (-110)
How To Watch Trail Blazers vs. Lakers
Time: 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT
TV: SportsNet LA and KATU
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Trail Blazers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Trail Blazers are having another bad season, and it continued on Friday after they suffered an embarrassing 141-99 defeat at home to the Utah Jazz. Ultimately, this loss was so bad because it was in front of their fans and against a team that was worse than them. Despite having the home court, it did not prevent them from falling into a 33-17 hole after one or a 67-44 deficit at halftime.
It was not surprising that the offense struggled. After all, the Blazers rank 25th in points. They also rank 28th in field-goal shooting percentage, including 25th from the triples. The Trail Blazers are not that good at shooting from the charity stripe, as they come into this game ranked 25th in free-throw shooting percentage. Likewise, the Blazers don't do well on the boards; they are 22nd in rebounds. Portland is also sloppy with the basketball, ranking 27th in turnovers. If there is one thing the Blazers do well, it's defend. They are currently fifth in blocked shots.
Shaedon Sharpe is their leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game. However, he only shoots 43 percent from the floor, including 28 percent from the triples. Anfernee Simons is averaging 16.6 points per game. Yet, he also is struggling to shoot, hitting just 40.2 percent of his shots. Jerami Grant is also scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game but shooting poorly, making 39.3 percent of his shots. Deandre Ayton is averaging 14.3 points per game. Amazingly, he is the best shooter on the team, converting 55.9 percent of his shots.
The Trail Blazers will cover the spread if they can convert on their shooting chances. Then, they must force the Lakers to turn the ball over.
Why the Lakers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Lakers' misery continued on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks after Trae Young hit a game-winner, handing them their third consecutive defeat. Despite the loss, LeBron James is optimistic that things will change and the Lakers will regain their footing. Things have changed from the start of the season, and this three-game losing streak has exposed many weaknesses for the Lakers.
The Lakers rank 16th in points, as they have not scored as much lately. Additionally, they have fallen to 10th in field-goal shooting percentage, including 17th in three-point shooting percentage. The Lakers are also 13th in free-throw shooting percentage. After doing well on the boards over the past few seasons, the Lakers have struggled, falling to 27th in total rebounds. But they have improved in handling the basketball, as the Lakers are sixth in turnovers. Yet, their defense this week has been awful, and it shows in their current status, as they are 24th in blocked shots.
James is still doing well, averaging 23 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. Likewise, Anthony Davis has been doing well, averaging 27.4 points per game while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. But his rebound numbers are down from last season, indicating a more urgent need for him to do better. The Lakers were again without Austin Reaves on Friday, and there is no telling if he will be available for this game. Therefore, the Lakers need D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Dalton Knecht to pick up the slack.
The Lakers will cover the spread if James and Davis can convert on their shooting chances and others can step up. Then, the Lakers need to play better defense to put Portland away.
Final Trail Blazers-Lakers Prediction & Pick
The Trail Blazers are 12-10-1 against the spread, while the Lakers are 9-14 against the odds. Moreover, the Blazers are 6-5-1 against the spread on the road, while the Lakers are 5-5 against the odds at home. The Trail Blazers are 10-10-1 against the spread when facing the Western Conference, while the Lakers are 6-9 against the odds when facing the West. Consequently, the Lakers' recent struggles will keep this close as the Blazers cover on the road.
Final Trail Blazers-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Portland Trail Blazers: +9 (-112)
