The Blazers have gotten a big boost offensively with the signing of Carmelo Anthony. But even though Portland has had a lot of recent ATS success against the visiting Lakers, should bettors really go against a Los Angeles squad that has an NBA-best 19-3 record?
- Date/Time: December 6, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Moda Center
- TV Coverage: Sportsnet 1, ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet, NBC Sportsnet Northwest
- Sportsbook Odds: Los Angeles -3 | O/U 222.5
- Lakers vs Trail Blazers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers have been dominant in any setting, but are an incredible 10-1 on the road, so they opened as 3-point favorites at Portland despite the strong play of the Blazers. The Lakers have played to the UNDER in six of their last seven games, while Portland has seen the UNDER hit in four of its last six, and most of their recent matchups have also gone UNDER, so it’s no surprise the total opened low at 222.5 points.
Los Angeles News & Notes
After a forgettable first season in Los Angeles, LeBron James is back in a familiar position — at the top of the NBA standings.
The Lakers are tied for the best record in the league at 19-3 following their lopsided 121-96 win at Utah on Wednesday. While James is having another stellar year, with 17 double-doubles in 22 games, it’s Anthony Davis who is truly powering the team. Acquired in one of the biggest trades in NBA history this offseason, Davis has been everything Los Angeles expected and more; he leads the team with 26 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Even more impressive is his defensive impact, as he also leads the team with 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per contest, has the second-lowest opponent shooting percentage when he is the closest defender and has transformed the team from the 10th-worst scoring defense last year to the second-best scoring defense this season.
Up next for the Lakers is a Portland squad that has major deficiencies in the front court, so expect Davis to have another monster game.
Portland News & Notes
Portland was stuck in a tailspin, with basically all its offense coming from backcourt players, and needed to make a drastic move to help turn things around.
So the team signed a veteran forward, with a proven track record for scoring, that seemingly every other club had decided they wanted no part of: Carmelo Anthony.
While Anthony appeared in just 10 games last season, the gamble has paid off early for Portland. The Trail Blazers have won four of their past five games, including a 127-116 win over Sacramento on Wednesday. Anthony scored 20 points in the win, and in his eight games with the Blazers, he’s averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 31 minutes per game.
Anthony took home Western Conference Player of the Week honors last week, and on Thursday, Portland officially guaranteed his contract for the remainder of the season. He’s provided a jolt to the offense and given the Blazers another credible scoring option behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and they’re going to need all hands on deck Friday against a Lakers team that has held two straight quality opponents to under 100 points.
Betting Pick: Lakers -3
Carmelo has been a nice addition for the Trail Blazers, but they still have nobody on the roster capable of slowing Anthony Davis or LeBron. Given how hot the Lakers are, I’ll take them to cover.
- The Lakers are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games against Portland.
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Portland’s last 10 games against LA.
- Portland is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games played on a Friday.
