LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers: Prediction and Betting Tips for 2023-24 NBA Season | Nov. 17, 2023

The LA Lakers visit the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers for their third group-stage game of the NBA In-Season Tournament. The two teams are facing off for the second time this season and their first encounter ended with a 116-110 victory for the Lakers.

The Lakers snapped their three-game win streak against the Sacramento Kings in their last outing. They are entering this game with a 6-6 record in the regular season and a 2-0 record in the In-Season Tournament.

The Blazers, on the other hand, are entering this game on a five-game losing streak. They have been in full tank mode ever since Damian Lillard departed and are eyeing the upcoming lottery picks. They are 14th in the West with a 3-8 record and are 1-1 in the In-Season Tournament after defeating the bottom-table Memphis Grizzlies.

LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Game Details, Preview, Betting Tips and Prediction

Game Details

Teams: LA Lakers (6-6) vs Portland Trail Blazers (3-8)

Date and Time: November 15, 2023 | 10:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon.

LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Preview

The Portland Trail Blazers realistically cannot even be the Wild Card team from the West so their In-Season Tournament campaign might come to an end tonight. They are 1-1 so far with a -14 point differential so even if they manage to win against the Lakers and then the Suns, they might not enter the quarter-finals.

Moreover, third overall pick Scoot Henderson is still sidelined with an ankle injury and is expected to be out for at least another week, as per The Athletic's Shams Charania. The Blazers also have major players like Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and Anfernee Simons sidelined.

The LA Lakers, on the other hand, are in a position to create some separation in the group West A in the In-Season Tournament. They are 2-0 in the group with a combined win margin of 30 points.

The Utah Jazz are also 2-0 but their next two games are against tough opponents like the Phoenix Suns and Lakers. A win tonight for the Lakers might seal their fate as the West A leader and help them advance to Las Vegas.

Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt continue to be out with their knee and heel injuries, respectively. Vincent hasn't played in almost two weeks while Vanderbilt is yet to make his season debut.

Moreover, the team has listed Anthony Davis and LeBron James on the injury report. Davis is probable to play with a hip spasm while James is questionable due to a calf contusion in his left leg. However, the two star forwards are expected to lace up because it is an In-Season Tournament game.

LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted starting lineups

The Lakers are expected to continue with the starting lineup that has worked for them in the last couple of games. D'Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish will start in the backcourt with Russell leading the point. Anthony Davis will resume his role as the center and LeBron James will be the starting small forward as usual. Taurean Prince has been starting as the power forward in Jarred Vanderbilt's absence.

The Portland Trail Blazers will likely deploy the lineup from their last outing. Skylar Mays should be the point guard and Shaedon Sharpe will join him in the backcourt. Toumani Camara and Jerami Grant will be the frontcourt and Deandre Ayton will continue as the center.

LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Betting Tips

The LA Lakers are -8.5 (-110) favorites in the spread while the moneyline has opened up at -350 for the Lakers and +270 for the Blazers. The total for the game is predicted to be over/under 223.5. The Lakers are favorites even though the game is in Portland, Oregon.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis' over/under points prop is set at 23.5. James is averaging 24.6 points while Davis is at 22.1 points per game so far. Going for over is -110 while choosing under is -115.

James dropped a triple-double in his last outing and the odds of him doing so tonight are +900 while for Davis, the odds are +9000. The last time Davis recorded a triple-double was 2018 and he has done so only once in his career.

Skylar Mays for the Blazers has an over/under assists prop at 8.5. He recorded double-digit assists in three straight games as the replacement starting point guard. The over/under prop for Deandre Ayton's rebounds is set at 10.5 while the same prop for Anthony Davis is at 12.5.

LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Prediction

The LA Lakers are expected to win this game with ease given the sheer number of injuries on the Portland Trail Blazers roster. The Lakers defeated the Blazers even without LeBron James and he is expected to play tonight.

The fact that tonight is an NBA In-Season Tournament game makes it a bigger deal for the Lakers to step up and win as they are in the perfect position to qualify for Vegas.