The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t going to be among the top tier of contenders in the Western Conference this season, as that is reserved for the super teams that have been formed in Golden State, San Antonio, Houston and Oklahoma City.
However, the Blazers are off to a nice start in 2017-18 and have the ability to make the playoffs if they can continue on this pace. Portland has a winnable game next time out when they host the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lake Show is still rebuilding and will have a tough time with this one on the road.
The Blazers have to take care of business in games like this one in order to set themselves up for a postseason push down the road.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Moda Center at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 2, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
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Odds Analysis
The Trail Blazers are the more talented team and get this one in front of their home crowd, so they will definitely be the favorites. Portland was held down last time out in a loss to the Raptors but its offense has generally been impressive this season. The Lakers also play in high-scoring games so expect the scoring total to be pretty high compared to regular NBA games.
Scheduling Situation
It’s not the easiest setup for the Trail Blazers in this one. They will play on the road against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night before flying home and then playing again on Thursday against the Lakers. It’s not a super long flight, but that’s a pretty tough turnaround.
If the Portland players don’t sleep well, it may lead to a slow start or some fatigue late in the contest.
The Lakers have to travel to Portland to play the game but do get a day off after their Tuesday matchup at home against the Detroit Pistons. The season is still young so the back-to-back games for Portland may not have a huge impact, but when it comes to the spread every little factor matters.
Player To Watch
Lonzo Ball - The Lakers’ rookie has struggled early in his NBA career. Ball is averaging 10.0 points, 7.7 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game, which seems solid, but his efficiency rating is low and he has struggled shooting the ball.
Ball is hitting just 31.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 28.1 of his three-point field goals. He is a talented player but needs to shoot the ball better to reach his potential. Ball is averaging 5.3 three-point field goal attempts per game and needs to hit them at a better clip in order to be an asset on offense.
It is still very early and Ball can improve, but this is a tough matchup against an excellent Portland backcourt in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Ball’s rookie season figures to be up and down, but if he can have a good performance in this one it could keep Los Angeles close.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Lakers are trying to build something fruitful but are still at least a year away from becoming a legitimate playoff contender. The Blazers, meanwhile, believe their time is now to be one of the better teams in the West.
Portland needs to take care of business in this one and should be able to, but if the players have heavy legs late it could get close. Take the Blazers in a game that could be closer than expected. Look for an entertaining game as there will be plenty of points scored by both sides. The “over-under” will be interesting as it should be pretty high.
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers 119, Lakers 114
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