The Los Angeles Lakers head back out on the road to face the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a victory in their last game over the Dallas Mavericks. They made things more difficult than they had to be, nearly blowing a 14-point lead with only four minutes remaining.
The Lakers ended up holding on, defeating the Mavericks 114-113. Now, they will look to get on a winning streak as they pay a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers.
This will be the second meeting of the season already between the Lakers and Blazers. Los Angeles visited Portland on opening night, losing 128-119. Portland dominated the fourth quarter of that game, so the Lakers will be looking to exact some revenge.
Getting a victory would also lower the tensions surrounding the team. On Friday, it was reported that head coach Luke Walton could be on the hot seat. Despite patience being preached, the 3-5 record to begin the season has some people on edge. If the Lakers don’t begin stringing together some victories, it could cost Walton his job.
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It will be a tall task to defeat the Blazers on their home court. Portland has defeated the Lakers 16 consecutive times, a streak that everyone in the organization would love to snap on Saturday night.
The key to defeating the Trail Blazers is containing their backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The two combined to shoot 15-of-38 from the field in the first matchup. However, Los Angeles could not contain Nik Stauskas, who exploded for 24 points off the bench, including five 3-pointers.
The 3-point line and free throw line did the Lakers in during that first matchup. Portland made six more 3-pointers and seven more free throws in the game. While the Lakers dominated the paint, it was not enough to overcome their deficiency outside the paint.
Game Info
Date: November 3rd, 2018
Start time: 10 pm ET, 7 pm PT
Location: Portland, Oregon
Stadium: Moda Center
TV Info: SpecSN, NBCSNW
Radio: 710 AM ESPN / 1330 AM ESPN DEPORTES, Rip City Radio 620
Live Stream: FuboTV
Betting Odds
If the first game this season was any indication, these two teams will provide an entertaining game. There will be plenty of offense and it should be competitive as well. Oddsmakers believe this is another game that should go right down to the wire.
Spread: Lakers +3
Total: 237.5 or 238
Moneyline: Lakers +130 up to +135, Trail Blazers -145 up to -150
Projected Starting Lineups
Lakers
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Brandon Ingram
SF: Kyle Kuzma
PF: LeBron James
C: JaVale McGee
Trail Blazers
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: C.J. McCollum
SF: Jake Layman
PF: Al-Farouq Aminu
C: Jusuf Nurkic