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Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, Betting Odds, Picks

Written by: Christian Jope
Updated October 14, 2022
5 min read
  • The Trail Blazers are on a three-game losing streak as they enter this one-game road trip.
  • The Lakers look to get back on the winning trend after losing six of their last ten.
  • The Blazers earned a 15-point victory over the Lakers in their first meeting this season.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Odds

Trail Blazers Vs Lakers December 31

Head-to-Head: Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers

Portland Trail Blazers Head-to-Head Los Angeles Lakers
Chauncey Billups Head Coach Frank Vogel
13-21 (12th in West) Standing 17-19 (7th in West)
L-L-L-W Form L-W-L-L
110.2 (14th of 30) Off Rtg 106.8 (25th of 30)
113.9 (28th of 30) Def Rtg 108.8 (12th of 30)
98.0 (18th of 30) Pace 100.9 (1st of 30)

Leaders (Per Game)

D. Lillard (24.2) PPG L. James (28.0)
J. Nurkic (9.9) RPG A. Davis (9.9)
D. Lillard (7.3) APG R. Westbrook (8.3)
R. Covington (1.2) SPG L. James (1.7)
R. Covington (1.2) BPG A. Davis (2.0)
J. Nurkic (.570)/C. McCollum (8.0) FG%/FGM D. Jordan (.675)/L. James (10.5)
B. McLemore (.425)/D. Lillard (3.3) 3P%/3PM D. Howard (.750)/L. James (2.9)

Injury Report

Player Team Date Status Info
Cody Zeller Portland Trail Blazers 12 Dec 2021 Out (Knee) Zeller will be re-evaluated before his return to play.
CJ McCollum Portland Trail Blazers 15 Dec 2021 Out (Lung) McCollum will be re-evaluated before his return to play.
Dennis Smith Portland Trail Blazers 24 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Smith has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Trendon Watford Portland Trail Blazers 24 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Watford has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Keljin Blevins Portland Trail Blazers 25 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Blevins has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Robert Covington Portland Trail Blazers 25 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Covington has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Ben McLemore Portland Trail Blazers 25 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) McLemore has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Kendrick Nunn Los Angeles Lakers 6 Dec 2021 Out (Knee) Head Coach Frank Vogel said he expects Rondo to return after three weeks.
Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers 18 Dec 2021 Out (Knee) Davis suffered a sprained MCL and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Trevor Ariza Los Angeles Lakers 23 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Ariza has been placed under league health & safety protocols.
Rajon Rondo Los Angeles Lakers 26 Dec 2021 Out (Health & Safety) Rondo has been placed under league health & safety protocols.

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How Can the Trail Blazers Beat the Lakers?

Playing good, solid defense isn’t exactly in the track record of the Portland Trail Blazers. However, if Portland can limit their opponents’ trips to the free-throw line, the game could shift in their favor.

The Trail Blazers are 22nd in the league in free-throw attempts allowed with 21.3 per game, while their opponents own a .753 conversion rate against them. In wins, the Trail Blazers hold their opponents to 4 free throw attempts less than in losses.

It seems minuscule, but for a team with a sieve-like defense it is important to limit any additional opportunities to score. Finishing possessions cleanly will only open up the Trail Blazers’ opportunities further.

Trail Blazers Key Player: (G) Damian Lillard


The Trail Blazers continue to stumble down the Western Conference table and it is coming close to the time for the Portland front office to make a decision on their future. Until then, Lillard is performing as he does.

Lillard is coming off of a 32 point, 6 rebounds, and 4 assist evening despite the loss to the Utah Jazz. The long-time Blazers point guard remains elite, at least in the scoring column.

When Lillard faces the Lakers, Portland will need as many points as he can muster. Short on scoring and short on defensively adept role players, it’ll be an offensive battle to say the least.

How can the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers?

For the Los Angeles Lakers to take a victory from the Trail Blazers, they will need to maintain their effort through four quarters. If they can’t the Trail Blazers have the personnel to close out a tight game.

In their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers got out to a decent start. They opened the game with a 30-23 first quarter and were only outscored by two points through the third. However poor shot creation resulted in a 7 of 20 quarter where Los Angeles was outscored 16 to 26.

The Lakers’ bench unit must step up in support of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. If the star pair can’t find support, the Trail Blazers have the firepower to steal a victory.

Lakers Key Player: (G) Russell Westbrook


The Los Angeles Lakers may have lost their most recent game, but it was steps in the right direction for Russell Westbrook. Despite the loss, Westbrook put up another triple-double on improved offensive efficiency.

Westbrook posted 16 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds on 7 of 16 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 shooting from three-point range. He could clean up in the turnover department, where he had 5 on the night, while improving on getting to the free-throw line where he was without an attempt against Memphis.

Westbrook will be key in this matchup, considering the constantly swirling rumors of Damian Lillard being coveted by the Los Angeles Lakers. The former NBA Most Valuable Player should be aggressive as he faces a depleted Trail Blazers frontcourt.

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How to Watch Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers

Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Information
Teams Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Location crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Time 10:30 PM EST, December 31st, 2021
How to Watch NBA TV
Christian Jope WSN Contributors

Christian Jope

NBA Betting Analyst

Expertise:
NBA
Betting Picks
Christian Jope is a writer, social media strategist, and data analyst. A Queen’s University Alumni, Christian is an author and social media strategist with Raptors Cage, while also working closely with MLSE and Canada Basketball through community-driven events.
Email: [email protected]
Nationality: Canadian
Education: Bachelor of Arts (Applied Economics)
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