The Portland Trail Blazers backed into the All-Star break on a three-game losing skid with all three of those Ls came on the road, but now they'll get to host the Los Angeles Lakers at Moda Center, where they're 15-13 straight up.
If Portland wants to come out “smelling like roses” it'll need forward Jerami Grant to go to work, and my Lakers vs. Trail Blazers predictions think he'll do exactly that against a tired set of L.A. legs.
Read all about it in my NBA picks for February 20.
Lakers vs Trail Blazers prediction
My best bet
Jerami Grant Over 13.5 points (-125 at bet365)
My analysis
The official injury report for tonight’s tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers lists Jerami Grant as questionable with knee soreness.
However, the All-Star break gave Grant extra time to rest, and there were positive results from Wednesday’s practice (he was a full participant). The 6-foot-7 veteran is likely a go.
Grant did sit out the final two games at Denver before the break after a solid start to February. He averaged 16 points over the first five games this month and shot almost 40% from the field during that stretch.
Tonight, he’ll take on a Lakers team on a short turnaround and scrambling to figure out its rotation after the Luka Doncic trade. Los Angeles sent Anthony Davis to Dallas and rescinded the Mark Williams deal, leaving it thin at center and rolling out a small-ball lineup.
The bigger issue comes in defending the perimeter without a proven rim protector to back up that defense. With Davis, Los Angeles could get more aggressive on outside shooters and keep its heels above the arc, knowing AD was in the paint if opponents drove to the rim.
While it is a small sample size, the Lakers have given up an average of 15 long balls in the three games since the trade (vs. 13.3 before), including 18 makes from deep from the Hornets last night.
Grant is a spot-up shooter who doesn't shy away from letting it fly from outside. He's been especially active from 3-point land this month, with his attempts spiking past six shots from distance per game. He's a much stronger shooter at home as well, knocking down 42% of those long-range looks for 2.6 triples made per home game (vs. 31% shooting, 1.9 3-pointers per road game).
Grant’s scoring prop sits as low as 13.5 points, which is on par with his past point totals, ranging from 12.5 to 14.5 Over/Under. He’s gone Over his scoring bar in five of his last eight appearances and game models lean toward another solid scoring performance this evening.
Forecasts for Grant range from 14.5 points to as high as 18.2, with my projection just below 16 points. Given that, the Over 13.5 points should carry a price around -170, but you can get Over 13.5 at -125.
Even if this prop ticks up to 14.5 points, you should be good with the Over at anything cheaper than -120.
Lakers vs Trail Blazers same-game parlay
Jermari Grant 15+ points
Trail Blazers +3.5
Under 227.5
Grant will be rested and ready off an extended break, and projections call for 15 or more points.
The Blazers are 17-11 ATS at home and host a Lakers team coming off a loss and traveling for the second of a back-to-back crunch.
Los Angeles is 2-4 Over/Under when playing on no rest this season. Keep an eye on the status of LeBron and Luka.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Lakers vs Trail Blazers odds
Lakers vs Trail Blazers live odds
Lakers vs Trail Blazers opening odds
- Spread: Los Angeles -4.5 | Portland +4.5
- Moneyline: Los Angeles -190 | Portland +160
- Over/Under: Over 226 | Under 226
Odds courtesy of bet365
Lakers vs Trail Blazers spread and Over/Under analysis
- Even before the Lakers’ loss to Charlotte at home, bookies had this game on the board. Los Angeles was a 4.5-point road favorite but slipped to -4 and then -3.5 overnight. Some books are down to as low as L.A. -3.
- The Over/Under total opened with a look-ahead number of 226 points, which has since climbed to 227 points for most operators.
- According to Covers Consensus, 56% of spread picks are laying the points with the Lakers while 56% of total picks are taking the Over.
Lakers vs Trail Blazers trend
Over the past three seasons, the Lakers are 18-15 SU but just 13-20 ATS in the second game of back-to-back outings. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Trail Blazers.
How to watch Lakers vs Trail Blazers
| Location | Moda Center, Portland, Oregon |
| Date | Thursday, 2-20-2025 |
| Tip-off | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | SPECSN, KUNP, KATU.2, TSN |
Lakers vs Trail Blazers latest injuries
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