Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers betting tips and predictions for Saturday’s NBA TV clash. The struggling Portland Trail Blazers host the Lebron-less Lakers in what should be a entertaining match-up. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
After a couple of wins against the young and inexperienced Rockets, the Lakers fell apart yet again against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home. No LeBron James in that game and as soon as he goes out this team lacks a floor general who would dictate the tempo of the game but also hold everyone accountable. Although he had 27 points in that game, Russell Westbrook doesn’t seem to be that guy for LA. Until LeBron gets back, I’m not quite sure what to make of the Lakers, they’ve covered the spread just twice in their last 12 games.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers odds
Portland has also struggled out of the gate, but they are coming off a 4-point win over the Indiana Pacers which puts them at 4-1 at home this season. Dame Lillard still hasn’t turned things around, he is averaging under 20 points for the season on 35% shooting from the field. Against Indiana he had only 4 points (yes, you read that correctly) on just 2-for-13 shooting from the field. New head coach Chauncey Billups will have to invest more time into finding a suitable role for Lillard, their current offensive system simply isn’t working out for him.
With their star player missing, the Lakers seem to be hit and miss at this point. You never know what you’ll get from Westbrook and Anthony Davis is always an injury concern, so I’m not yet ready to trust them. Lillard has struggled, but the Blazers seem to be dealing with it fine in home games. I’m going to side with Portland in this one.
Portland -3.5 Point Spread available at bet365 at 10/11 odds!
Issues have been raised around the Lakers defense with them giving up 117 points against a very young Rockets team and following that up with 107 points allowed against an OKC team which is trying very hard to lose as many games as possible.
They’ve allowed 100+ points in 4 of their last 5 games and rank only 16th in defensive efficiency this season. Speaking of defending, the Blazers are even worse ranking 24th with 107.7 points allowed per 100 possessions. The good news is they are both getting it done on the offensive end. Carmelo Anthony has been a spark off the bench for the Lakers.
Portland is able to score 111 points per game with their best player averaging under 20 points, we can only imagine where that number will go once he’s back on track. It’s also worth noting that the Blazers rank 3rd in effective field goal percentage, while the Lakers are no slouch either at 6th in this category. I think we are in for a fun match-up here between two teams who are trying to outscore each other. Let’s back the over.
Over 220.5 Total Points is available at 10/11 odds on bet365!
