The Portland Trail Blazers are battling a host of other teams for position in the Western Conference, and every win down the stretch is critical. The Blazers have a good opportunity to pick up a road win early next week when they head to Los Angeles to face off against the Lakers.
Portland is the superior team and has played pretty well on the road this season, which could make it the slight favorite. The Lakers are headed for the lottery once again as their rebuild continues. Los Angeles is a little bit above .500 at home on the season so this game could be a close one.
Portland needs this game badly and would love to come away with the victory.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 5, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on NBATV.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Trail Blazers are 35-26 straight up and 31-26-4 against the spread. Portland is an impressive 18-13-1 against the spread on the road this year. The Blazers have gone 17-17-3 as the favorite against the spread.
The Lakers are 26-34 straight up and 33-27 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 17 of 29 attempts at home this season. The Lakers are 24-23 against the spread as the underdog.
Last Meetings
The Trail Blazers have already defeated the Lakers twice this season, winning 113-110 on November 2nd at home and 95-92 on December 23rd in Los Angeles. Portland will enter this matchup as the favorite, despite being on the road.
The Trail Blazers captured its first win over Los Angeles this season in thrilling fashion, with Damian Lillard hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining. Lillard finished the game with a team-high 32 points while Jusuf Nurkic added 28 points and CJ McCollum had 22.
The second meeting back in December also stayed close with the Blazers securing the win off a three-point play by Maurice Harkless with 21 seconds to go. Portland has won 14 straight games against Los Angeles.
Player to Watch
Lillard – Portland’s star point guard is not only the team’s best player, but he’s someone capable of coming up with clutch plays late. That’s something the 27-year-old has already proven against the Lakers this year.
If this third matchup remains as tight as the other two, look for the Trail Blazers to get Lillard the ball late. He is the one most capable and most comfortable taking that shot.
Lillard is averaging 26.3 points and 6.6 assists per game. He had 40 points the other night against the Suns and finished with 44 in a win over Golden State on February 14th.
Free NBA ATS Picks
If the Lakers can keep this game as close as the first two affairs have been, they will likely cover the spread. However, the choice is for the Trail Blazers to not only capture this game on the road but to cover as well.
Take Portland to win another game against Los Angeles, with this one being easier than the first two meetings. It’s integral as the Trail Blazers try to improve their seeding in the West.
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers 108, Lakers 103
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