Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-2 straight up and 5-1 against the spread in their last six games against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers kick off their best-of-seven playoff series against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in Orlando.
Los Angeles is a six-point favorite for Game 1 on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In three meetings between these two teams this season before the NBA season was postponed, the Lakers were 2-1 SU and ATS.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers | OddsShark Matchup Report
LeBron James played for only 15 minutes and Anthony Davis took the night off in Los Angeles’ 136-122 loss to the Sacramento Kings last Thursday. The loss dropped the Lakers’ record to a disappointing 3-5 SU and 1-7 ATS since the NBA’s return in late July.
Los Angeles didn’t need to do much to lock up the top seed in the Western Conference, so perhaps the team’s lack of intensity can be chalked up to the games not meaning much.
Now the question is whether or not the Lakers can “turn it on” and return to their previous form with the postseason set to begin. The Lakers finished up the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 52-19 SU and 36-34-1 ATS.
It could easily be argued that no team benefited more from the league’s postponement than the Trail Blazers. Portland entered the 2019-20 season as dark horse title contenders coming off a 53-win season and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, but a disappointing season put Portland at risk of missing the playoffs entirely.
But with Jusuf Nurkic back healthy and Damian Lillard on a tear, the Trail Blazers have gone 7-2 SU and 5-3-1 in the bubble to earn this playoff spot.
Tuesday night’s total is set at 230 points at sports betting sites. The OVER is 6-0 in Portland’s last six games.
In most seasons, the first-round matchup between the No. 1 seed and the No. 8 seed is a gimme for the No. 1 seed. But this year the Lakers draw one of the Western Conference’s hottest teams. Portland has been playing with postseason energy since its return to the bubble; the Lakers are going to need to match that intensity if they hope to set the tone with a Game 1 win.
Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily NBA picks for bettors.