Lakers vs Trail Blazers Picks and Predictions: Ready to Rise?

The Los Angeles Lakers’ recent record may not look pretty, but they could be on the verge of a winning stretch

Los Angeles became stronger at the trade deadline, and after winning its first game with new players, another victory is just around the corner.

Meanwhile, injuries have been decimating the Portland Trail Bazers over the last month, and they're already dealing with some pretty glaring weaknesses. Is there a way for L.A. to win on the road, despite its poor record away from home?

Let’s dig into this one in our Lakers vs. Trail Blazers NBA betting picks and predictions.

Lakers vs Trail Blazers best odds

Lakers vs Trail Blazers picks and predictions

The Los Angeles Lakers feel like a team that's very much on the rise. The addition of Rui Hachimura breathed a bit of life into them, and now this team is looking much more formidable than before with the return of D’Angelo Russell and the departure of Russell Westbrook. Malik Beasley also should help Los Angeles' weak perimeter shooting, though he did go 0-for-6 in his debut with the Lakers.

Regardless, there’s reason to believe this club can sustain the high level of play we saw against Golden State, which resulted in the Lakers' first win in four games. The Lakers posted a spicy defensive rating of 97.2 while outscoring the Golden State by 5.7 points per 100 possessions.

That all happened without LeBron James on the floor, and there’s a chance he returns against the Portland Trail Blazers despite the questionable tag. Anthony Davis is probable after giving the Lakers several key defensive stops against the Warriors.

There’s a decent chance the Lakers are at full strength on Monday. If that's the case, I’m confident they'll win. Jusuf Nurkic remains out for the Trail Blazers, and without him Portland won't be able to get anything going inside against Davis. To make matters worse, Jerami Grant is still in the concussion protocol, and that should really hit the Blazers' offense hard.

L.A. has looked pretty inspired defensively. And with new offensive additions making the team look competent on the other side of the ball, Portland’s weak defense will get exposed again during another crushing loss.

My best bet: Lakers ML (-102 at FanDuel)

Lakers vs Trail Blazers spread analysis

The Lakers have covered just once over their last five games. They’re 13-16-1 against the spread on the road and 19-22-1 ATS as underdogs. That’s the bad news. The good news? L.A. is 12-12-1 ATS after a win, which is a good mark considering the team is 26-30-1 ATS in all games.

I'll clearly be siding with Los Angeles against the spread, as the team is getting one point from oddsmakers. That's a rather substantial move from the opening number of 2.5 points. If things keep trending in the right direction, the Lakers may wind up being the favorites here. They’re already a pick'em at DraftKings.

Currently, 66% of the tickets on the spread at DraftKings have come in on the Lakers, and 68% of the cash is on the road team too. While Los Angeles is still the public play here, you always want to see a higher percentage of money on your side than the percentage of tickets.

Should the Lakers close as road favorites, it will mark just the fourth time that's happened all season. They’re 2-1 ATS in that situation.

Lakers vs Trail Blazers Over/Under analysis

The Under has been sizzling in the Lakers' games lately, which isn't surprising given the team's offensive struggles and ability to stay in contests defensively. It's cashed in 11 of the last 17 games involving this team, and in three of the previous last five.

The Over is 17-13 in the Lakers' road games, though it's 2-1 when L.A. is the road underdog. The Lakers keep games Under when they play well, and playing catchup from behind leads to the Over cashing.

I lean strongly about the Under here, despite Portland’s defense being terrible. Oddsmakers have adjusted to the Trail Blazers’ style of play, and the Over now sits at 26-28-2 throughout their games.

It'll be difficult for Portland to score inside without Nurkic. The Blazers are just 19th in 3-point shooting over the last five games at 34.2%. If the shots don’t start falling, they won't score enough for the Over to hit. That’s also going to be hard against this L.A. defense.

Lakers vs Trail Blazers betting trend to know

Four of the last five meetings between the Lakers and Blazers have gone Under, with their most recent clash on Jan. 22 cashing by a comfortable six points. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Trail Blazers.

Lakers vs Trail Blazers game info

Lakers vs Trail Blazers key injuries

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