The Los Angeles Lakers might fit the bill of a team facing a near must-win situation today against the Portland Trail Blazers. After falling to the league’s elite in Golden State and the Clippers, L.A. is -3.5 NBA odds favorites today, staring at a possible 0-3 start against a Blazers team that’s gotten off to a strong 2-0 start.
LeBron James will look to halt any panic buttons today with a big performance, but Portland's Damian Lillard will look to keep the positive momentum going.
Last year's matchups between these sides resulted in two victories for each team. Our NBA betting picks and predictions for Trail Blazers vs. Lakers believe we can be in for big performances out of LeBron James in a relatively low-scoring affair at Crypto.com Arena.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers best odds
Trail Blazers vs Lakers picks and predictions
If there were any concerns about LeBron James' ability to score points in bunches in year 20, those concerns have been put to bed with back-to-back 20-plus point games to start the season. We are in rare air regarding the self-proclaimed "King" and his Iron Man reputation.
In Tuesday night's action against the Warriors' top-ranked defense last year, James spearheaded a losing effort but showed no signs of slowing down — putting up 31 points. The production came while being flanked by players with defensive reputations, including Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
Thursday night wasn't bad either, with James scoring 20 points against a powerful pair of defenders in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Today's action may see him explode even more as the Lakers face a young Blazers team that doesn't have the roster of guys to handle Bron and his uncanny ability to get to his spots and put the ball in the basket.
James was dominant in two matchups against the Trailblazers last season, including a 30 and 43-point outing. This season shouldn’t be any different regarding James' ability to score the ball against a team with many significant question marks. Particularly in a high-stakes game such as this one. I'm all over "LBJ's" NBA player props this afternoon.
My best bet: LeBron James Over 28.5 points (-106)
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Trail Blazers vs Lakers spread analysis
Portland, a team, not expected to be much of anything this year, enters this matchup 2-0 following impressive wins against the Kings and Suns. One abundantly clear thing is that Damian Lillard is still one of the best basketball players on the planet. After much of a hiatus last season, the 32-year-old flamethrower is back, and that was clear in the Phoenix game where he scored 41 points.
The Lakers will be charged with slowing the supremely talented Lillard with Patrick Beverley and the struggling Russell Westbrook. Beverley is a tough defender who doesn't take possessions off, but Lillard is matchup-proof against anyone when he's got his shot going.
As the Lakers look to find their first win of the season after dropping games to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, it will be imperative for someone outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to step up significantly.
Westbrook's time in Los Angeles took another ugly turn this week when he scored 2 points on 0-for-11 shooting. Lakers head coach Darvon Ham must figure out a way to get more out of Westbrook, as benching him may cause more distractions.
The season is young, but the Lakers' defense looks to have improved. Last year, they ranked 21st in defensive rating, larger due to Anthony Davis not being on the court. Any defensive woes against a sleeper Portland team can send the Lakers to an ugly 0-3 start. LosAngeles will win, but Portland will cover the spread in a close one.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers Over/Under analysis
Oddsmakers opened the line for the O/U at 223.5 and has since risen to anywhere between 225.5 and 226. The total here projects the offensive firepower of each team's stars will light the scoreboard up against two defenses that nobody projects to be elite this season.
In four matchups last season, the Lakers and Trailblazers only surpassed the 222.5 to 226 mark just once. An excellent reason for that is a combination of Lillard, James, and Davis missing games, drastically changing their team's entire outlook.
From what I've seen this season, I am inclined to take the Under. The Lakers still have a ton of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, with possible historically bad outside shooting. They are currently shooting 19 of 85 (22%) from 3-point range this season. As of today, that is the worst percentage by any team through two games in NBA history. That's more than enough evidence for me to feel confident in taking the Under today.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers betting trend to know
Thr Under is 13-4 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Lakers.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers game info
| Location: | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date: | Sunday, October 23, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Root Sports, Bally Sports |
