The Lakers have lost four straight games SU, six straight ATS and will try to rebound vs the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Portland and opened as 3.5-point faves to get the W.
- Date/Time: December 28, 10:00 PM ET
- Stadium: Moda Center
- TV Coverage: NBC Sports NorthWest, Spectrum SportsNet
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -3.5 | O/U 225
- Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers opened as slight faves in Portland despite being 14-3 SU on the road. They play great defense and still have Anthony Davis on the court, even if LeBron James is banged up from a groin injury and lacks explosiveness. Portland lacks frontcourt depth and has struggled recently vs Los Angeles.
Los Angeles News & Notes
Christmas in Los Angeles has not been kind to LeBron James. James tore his left groin during last year’s Christmas Day game and missed the majority of the second half of the season. This year, for Christmas, James aggravated a right groin injury in their 111-106 loss to the Clippers. He is still likely tonight to play but may be limited for this matchup.
That means forwards Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma, who had 24 and 25 points respectively against the Clippers, may need to carry the load against a Portland team that has beaten the Lakers 17 out of their last 20 meetings.
Portland News & Notes
While Hassan Whiteside has been a pleasant surprise for Portland, the Blazers still have a massive deficiency in the frontcourt. Whiteside, who leads the league in blocks, called himself the best rim protector in the league prior to their game Thursday against Utah. While Whiteside is a strong defensive presence, the Jazz scored on 17 of their 22 shots at the rim and Whiteside was a minus-28 in a 121-115 loss.
It’s not going to get any easier for Portland on Saturday, as the Blazers face superstar forward Anthony Davis, who torched them for 39 points in a 136-113 Lakers win when these teams last played on December 6. That loss continued a recent trend for the Blazers, as they have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five home games vs Los Angeles.
Betting Pick: LAKERS -4.5
Los Angeles is in a bit of a slump, but a visit to Portland — where they are 4-1 ATS in their last five — should get them back on track.
- Los Angeles is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 games.
- Portland is 1-6-1 ATS in the last 8 vs the West.
- The UNDER has hit in 6 of the Blazers' last 9 games.
