Lakers, Blazers Each Try To Ring In 2022 With Rare Victory

The new year couldn’t come fast enough for Los Angeles (17-19 SU, 14-22 ATS) and Portland (13-21, 12-22). The Lakers have lost six of their last seven but still opened as 5.5-point home favorites over the Trail Blazers, who have dropped 10 of 12.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

It’s hard to have much confidence in either of these teams right now, which might explain why the point spread hadn’t budged from the opener by the time of writing Friday morning. There was tremendous early interest in the UNDER, however, driving the total down to 227.

Portland News & Notes

It’s been an ugly season in Portland, and there aren’t many signs that a turnaround is imminent. Not only have the Blazers lost three straight and 10 of 12, they aren’t covering many point spreads either. Portland is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 overall, 3-13 ATS in its last 16 on the road and 2-11 ATS in its last 13 as an underdog.

Injuries and COVID-19 issues certainly haven’t helped the Blazers’ cause. Already without high-scoring star CJ McCollum for the past several weeks due to a collapsed lung, Portland was also missing seven regulars — including Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington — and head coach Chauncey Billups for this week’s losses to Dallas and Utah.

Ben McLemore and Dennis Smith Jr. are eligible to return from health and safety protocols tonight, but guard Anfernee Simons and recent G League signee Brandon Williams won’t be available after entering protocols Thursday. Expect Damian Lillard and Norman Powell to continue bearing the brunt of the offensive load once again after each scored 32 points in Wednesday’s 120-105 loss to the Jazz.

Los Angeles News & Notes

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have both been stuffing the stat sheet the last couple of weeks for the Lakers, but it hasn’t translated into victories for the Purple and Gold. LeBron has scored at least 30 points in six straight outings while Westbrook has recorded three consecutive triple-doubles, but LA stumbles into Friday’s action with a 1-6 SU record in its last seven games.

Outside of James, Westbrook and Malik Monk, no Lakers are consistently stepping up their game to make up for the absence of the injured Anthony Davis. Monk has averaged 20 points over LA’s last three games, but the Lakers’ bench combined to score just 18 points in Wednesday’s 104-99 loss at Memphis when the Lakers went scoreless for a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter. “It was a lack of energy and effort put into making them work defensively,” acting head coach David Fizdale told the LA Times following the loss.

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How Portland Will Cover

The Lakers’ arena may no longer be called the Staples Center, but the Trail Blazers can still draw some confidence from the success they’ve enjoyed in LA over the years. Portland has covered 14 of its last 18 road games against the Lakers, posting SU victories in 13 of those contests.

How Los Angeles Will Cover

Much of the Lakers’ recent struggles have come against tough opponents like the Bulls, Suns, Nets and Grizzlies. Another big game from James and Westbrook should be enough to overwhelm the shorthanded Blazers, whose bench is even thinner these days than LA’s.

Computer Pick: Trail Blazers +5.5

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