Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers are 3-2 straight up and against the spread over their last five games against the Portland Trail Blazers after Thursday night’s Game 2 victory. The Lakers will try to earn another win against Portland on Saturday night in Orlando.
Los Angeles is a 7.5-point favorite on the NBA odds for Game 3 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Trail Blazers closed as 6.5-point underdogs in Game 1 and as 7-point underdogs in Game 2.
Lakers vs Trail Blazers | OddsShark Matchup Report
LeBron James went just 4-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-3 from 3-point range, scoring only 10 points with six rebounds and seven assists in Game 2. Had you told Lakers fans that this would be James’ final line before the game, they’d have likely feared the worst.
But with Anthony Davis racking up 31 points and 11 rebounds in just three quarters of play and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipping in with 16 points in 22 minutes of action, the Lakers blew Portland away by a final score of 111-88.
The Lakers are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four games coming off a win.
Damian Lillard was forced to leave Game 2 early with a dislocation in his left index finger. But even before the injury, Lillard wasn’t at his best on Thursday with only 18 points in 30 minutes of action and an uncharacteristically cold 1-for-7 night from behind the arc.
Portland trailed by eight points at the end of the first quarter, 17 at the end of the first half, and 30 at the end of the third quarter. The outcome to this one was never in doubt. Lillard is expected to play in Game 3 with a splint on his injured finger.
Saturday night’s total is set at 224.5 points at sports betting sites. The first two games in this series have gone UNDER the posted total.
What a difference one game can make. Los Angeles’ NBA bubble woes continued into the first game of this series and it felt like the Lakers might be in trouble. But after Game 2, Los Angeles looks as dominant as ever and it’s suddenly difficult to imagine them losing to the Trail Blazers three more times.
The Lakers hope to keep their new-found momentum going with a win in Game 3.
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