The Los Angeles Lakers (26-29) visit Moda Center Wednesday to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (21-34). Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Lakers vs. Blazers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Lakers are coming off a 15-point beatdown (131-116) by the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday, a game that felt more out of reach than the final score showed. They did not cover as 5-point underdogs.
The Lakers have been playing better as of late, covering 6 of their last 10. They’re 24-31 against the spread (ATS) for the season
SF LeBron James and PF Anthony Davis, who have both dealt with injuries this season, are expected to play Wednesday.
Portland recently traded away 3 key starters, including SG CJ McCollum, and have been without superstar PG Damian Lillard since the start of 2022. The Trail Blazers are 14-16 at home as compared to 7-18 on the road. They have failed to win and cover their last 6 games and are 21-33-1 ATS on the season.
Lakers at Trail Blazers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:59 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Lakers -520 (bet $520 to win $100) | Trail Blazers +370 (bet $100 to win $370)
- Against the spread: Lakers -9.5 (-102) | Trail Blazers +9.5 (-122)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Lakers at Trail Blazers key injuries
Lakers
- Not submitted as of this publishing (below is projected)
- SF Carmelo Anthony (hamstring) out
- PF Anthony Davis (wrist) probable
- C Dwight Howard (back) questionable
- SF LeBron James (knee) probable
Trail Blazers
- Not yet submitted (below is projected)
- PG Damian Lillard (core) out
- SF Nassir Little (shoulder) out
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Lakers at Trail Blazers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Lakers 116, Trail Blazers 104
Money line
PASS.
The Blazers clearly are entering the reset button given their recent trades, but that doesn’t change that Los Angeles is 9-16 on the road, making both sides unplayable.
Against the spread
BET LAKERS -9.5 (-102).
The Lakers might be the oldest team in the NBA, but they’re the second-best covering team with no rest, 5-2 ATS. Add into that Portland is just 4-8 ATS as a home underdog, and the trends side with Los Angeles.
The Lakers are also playing better basketball and coming off an embarrassing loss to Milwaukee. This is a get-right spot for the Lakers as they’re a team that should still have championship expectations.
One strength the Lakers have is their 3-point shooting, ranking 13th in 3-point efficiency. The Blazers allow their opponents to shoot 37.2% from deep, the worst rate in the NBA.
Combine it all, and I like the Lakers to cover here.
Over/Under
LEAN to the UNDER 223.5 (-112).
I just can’t get behind this Portland offense without many of its key weapons. Portland has scored 81, 94, 93, 108, and 95 in its last 5 games. Given the Blazers have lost more top scorers in that time, they should continue to struggle.
The only projected total that’s gone over in the Blazers’ last 5 games was against the Bucks, a game that was a 32-point margin at the end of the third (63 points were scored in the fourth).
Without garbage time, the Blazers just don’t have the weapons to score efficiently. The Lakers might be 31-23-1 O/U, but their Under has hit in 4 of their last 5. They’re just 5-5 O/U as road favorites as well.
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