Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread in their last five games against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak with a win over the Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Los Angeles is a 5-point home favorite on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Portland is just 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games against the Lakers.
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers | OddsShark Matchup Report
The shorthanded Lakers were no match for the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. After a competitive first quarter that ended with Los Angeles down only one point, Utah blew the game open with a 39-24 second quarter followed by a 27-17 third quarter. The Lakers took the blowout as an opportunity to give LeBron James some rest as James played only 28 minutes in the 114-89 loss.
With Wednesday’s loss, Los Angeles fell to 4-12 ATS over its last 16 games and to 0-4 SU and ATS over its last four games per the OddsShark NBA Database.
After dropping their first game of February in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Trail Blazers proceeded to go 8-1 SU and ATS over their next nine games including a 6-0 SU and ATS run that spanned from the 9th through the 17th. But since that hot run, Portland is 0-3 SU and 1-2 ATS over its last three games. The team’s success is heavily tied to how much offense Damian Lillard produces; the star point guard has averaged 28 points per game over the Trail Blazers’ current losing streak compared to 32.3 points per game during their six-game win streak.
Friday night’s total is set at 221.5 points at sports betting sites. The OVER is 12-6 in Portland’s last 18 games.
The Lakers should get a boost from the return of Dennis Schroder on Friday as the team’s starting point guard is set to return from his four-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols. But the real key to this matchup will be how well Los Angeles’ defense is able to contain Damian Lillard from doing too much damage on offense when he is on the floor.
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