Through 3 Quarters
The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to win this one, and they are just one quarter away from fulfilling that expectation. After three quarters it’s looking more and more like their high-powered offense is just too much for the Portland Trail Blazers as the Lakers lead 101-77.
Los Angeles has been led by small forward LeBron James, who so far has posted a double-double on 36 points and 13 rebounds in addition to four assists. LBJ is close to surpassing his season high of 39. One thing to keep an eye out for is Stanley Johnson’s foul situation as he currently sits at four.
Portland has enjoyed the tag-team combination of shooting guard Ben McLemore and power forward Larry Nance Jr.. The former has 22 points, while the latter has 13 points along with nine boards.
This is the most points Los Angeles has had yet this season going into the fourth quarter.
Who’s Playing
Portland @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Portland 13-21; Los Angeles 17-19
What to Know
The Los Angeles Lakers will be returning home after a two-game road trip. They and the Portland Trail Blazers will round out the year against one another at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W.’
The Lakers were within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 104-99 to the Memphis Grizzlies. The losing side was boosted by small forward LeBron James, who shot 8-for-14 from downtown and finished with a double-double on 37 points and 13 rebounds in addition to seven dimes. LBJ’s night made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least 31 points.
Meanwhile, Rip City’s 2021 ended with a 120-105 loss against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Shooting guard Anfernee Simons had a pretty forgettable game, playing for 29 minutes but putting up just seven points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Los Angeles is the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. At 6-14 against the spread at home, they are no cash cow. That said, the Trail Blazers aren’t so hot on the road, where they are 3-11.
The losses put the Lakers at 17-19 and Portland at 13-21. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Los Angeles is fourth worst in the league in points allowed per game, with 112.4 on average. Portland has experienced some struggles of their own as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.60% from the floor on average, which is the highest shooting percentage allowed in the league. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
- TV: NBATV
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $79.00
Odds
The Lakers are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Trail Blazers, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 5.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Portland have won 17 out of their last 26 games against Los Angeles.
- Nov 06, 2021 – Portland 105 vs. Los Angeles 90
- May 07, 2021 – Portland 106 vs. Los Angeles 101
- Feb 26, 2021 – Los Angeles 102 vs. Portland 93
- Dec 28, 2020 – Portland 115 vs. Los Angeles 107
- Aug 29, 2020 – Los Angeles 131 vs. Portland 122
- Aug 24, 2020 – Los Angeles 135 vs. Portland 115
- Aug 22, 2020 – Los Angeles 116 vs. Portland 108
- Aug 20, 2020 – Los Angeles 111 vs. Portland 88
- Aug 18, 2020 – Portland 100 vs. Los Angeles 93
- Jan 31, 2020 – Portland 127 vs. Los Angeles 119
- Dec 28, 2019 – Los Angeles 128 vs. Portland 120
- Dec 06, 2019 – Los Angeles 136 vs. Portland 113
- Apr 09, 2019 – Portland 104 vs. Los Angeles 101
- Nov 14, 2018 – Los Angeles 126 vs. Portland 117
- Nov 03, 2018 – Los Angeles 114 vs. Portland 110
- Oct 18, 2018 – Portland 128 vs. Los Angeles 119
- Mar 05, 2018 – Portland 108 vs. Los Angeles 103
- Dec 23, 2017 – Portland 95 vs. Los Angeles 92
- Nov 02, 2017 – Portland 113 vs. Los Angeles 110
- Mar 26, 2017 – Portland 97 vs. Los Angeles 81
- Jan 25, 2017 – Portland 105 vs. Los Angeles 98
- Jan 10, 2017 – Portland 108 vs. Los Angeles 87
- Jan 05, 2017 – Portland 118 vs. Los Angeles 109
- Jan 23, 2016 – Portland 121 vs. Los Angeles 103
- Nov 28, 2015 – Portland 108 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Nov 22, 2015 – Portland 107 vs. Los Angeles 93
Injury Report for Los Angeles
- LeBron James: Game-Time Decision (Abdomen)
- Avery Bradley: Game-Time Decision (Head)
- Rajon Rondo: Out (Covid-19)
- Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)
- Anthony Davis: Out (Knee)
Injury Report for Portland
- Robert Covington: Out (Covid-19)
- Trendon Watford: Game-Time Decision (Covid-19)
- Keljin Blevins: Game-Time Decision (Covid-19)
- CJ McCollum: Out (Chest)
- Cody Zeller: Out (Covid-19)
- Jusuf Nurkic: Out (Covid-19)
- Brandon Williams: Out (Covid-19)
- Anfernee Simons: Out (Covid-19)