Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Betting Odds
The Portland Trail Blazers have bounced back from their stretch of losses in February with six straight wins entering their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. They are fighting for a top-three seed out West, while L.A. is simply hoping to stay afloat in a brutal Western Conference. [ad-4468020]
Los Angeles (20-39) @ Portland (41-18)
Monday, March 3 10:00 PM ET @ Moda Center
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Los Angeles
At this point in the year, the Lakers are in unfamiliar territory. Not only are they out of the playoffs, but they’re in a constant battle with the Sacramento Kings for last place out West. Both teams are 20-39 on the year, which means they’re playing for the lottery—and that’s about it.
General Manager Mitch Kupchak has done a decent job of setting up the roster to be flexible. That means he’ll have the chance to start fresh over the next two years, but more specifically, it means that expiring players on the roster are playing for the chance at offseason contracts, meaning they have too much pride to give into the tank job Kupchak has started.
Against Portland, the No. 1 priority is slowing down the offense. The Blazers are the top-scoring team in the NBA, and it’s largely because of their three-point shooting. Los Angeles has to be careful not to simply give up the mid-range game—LaMarcus Aldridge’s return will spark production in that area—but focusing on the perimeter has to be the goal if the Lakers hope to stop Portland’s winning streak.
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Portland
The nice part about Portland’s winning streak is that defense has become more of a priority. This is largely because the bench has been called upon to replace the injured Aldridge, Meyers Leonard and Joel Freeland. All reserve players are fighting for a spot in the playoff rotation, and the hope here is that the return of Aldridge and Leonard won’t take away from what the team has accomplished.
Luckily for Portland, it is going up against a defense that has been even less productive on the year than it has. On the season, the Blazers are giving up 102.9 points per game—the 25th-best mark in the league. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is allowing 106.5 per night, which is the second-worst mark in the entire Association.
Offensively, the Blazers have more firepower than the Lakers, but you can’t take away from the fact that L.A. is coming off of a 126-point performance against Sacramento—a 126-122 win. The last time these two met, it took brilliant performances from role players such as Xavier Henry and Robert Sacre to keep things close (although the Blazers still won on the road). If Portland can contain the role players with its inspired new defense, it should walk away with its seventh-straight victory.
Prediction: Portland 100 – Los Angeles 95
