Sunday night the Lakers take on the Portland Trailblazers as they look to right their sinking ship.
After a three day lay off, Friday night the Los Angeles Lakers fell to 2-10, fourth worst in the entire NBA. Despite strong showings from both D’Angelo Russell (17 points, 5 rebounds) and Julius Randle (18 points, 12 rebounds) Los Angeles was not able to stop the Toronto Raptors.
The Lakers continued their struggle to stop opposing teams’ point guards, letting Kyle Lowry roam freely, looking nearly unstoppable at times. Lowry made no 2-point field goals, but was 7-of-11 from downtown, finishing with 25 points.
In the Raptors game, every Lakers starter, minus Kobe Bryant, had a positive +/- ranking, which should signal to Byron Scott that the starters need to play more minutes together. Although Nick Young and Larry Nance Jr. have been bright spots off the bench, Friday night they were atrocious posting -20 and -27 respectively.
Sunday night the Lakers take on the Portland Trailblazers (5-9), who serve as a perfect foe to attempt to right their sinking ship. The Lakers young back court will have another tough time chasing around Portland’s duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, but it will be great test to see if Russell’s last game was a fluke or not.
The last time the Lakers played the Blazers the game ended with a Ryan Kelly game winning dunk, so expect the Blazers to come out trying to prove a point.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trailblazers – 6:30PM PT Sunday, November 22
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STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, California
TV: TWC SportsNet, TWC Deportes
Radio: 710AM ESPN, 1330AM ESPN Deportes
Favorite: Portland Trailblazers by 3
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers:
None
Portland Trailblazers:
Out: Meyers Leonard (back)
Prediction
The Lakers young core will build on their impressive performance Friday night and put it together on both ends of the floor. D’Angelo Russell will record his first 20 point game of the season and Randle will post yet another double-double in the Lakers’ third victory of the year.
Final Score:
Next: Lakers Bench Missing Marcelo Huertas' Playmaking Abilities
Enjoy the game and be sure to check in with LakeShowLife for frequent updates throughout the season!