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The LA Lakers visit the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. The matchup will be crucial considering the play-in tournament scenario.
The sides are locked 1-1 in their season series, with this game being the tie-breaker. The LA Lakers are placed sixth, while the Portland Trail Blazers are seventh in the Western Conference standings. Both teams have identical records (36-29). However, a better conference win/loss record has given the LA Lakers the edge in the standings.
LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers - Prediction
The LA Lakers head into this contest on the back of a 94-113 loss to city rivals the LA Clippers. Anthony Davis played just nine minutes before leaving because of back spasms. The Lakers were already missing key players like LeBron James, Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker; AD's early exit only added to their struggles.
Kyle Kuzma was the lone bright spot for the Purple and Gold, scoring 25 points on the night. Montrezl Harrel was the only other Laker to record a double-digit score (14) apart from Kuzma.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers got back to winning ways against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last game. They beat the 2016 champions 141-105 to register the fifth win of their six-game East Coast road trip. Damian Lillard led the charge with 32 points and six of the Blazers' players scored in double-digits to round off a brilliant team performance.
Compared to the Portland Trail Blazers, the LA Lakers' form isn't great. Lillard and crew will hold a slight advantage over the defending champs. But if Frank Vogel's men get a good start and can keep the Blazers' offense in check, they could emerge victorious.
LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers - Combined 5
Point Guard - Damian Lillard l Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum l Small Forward - Norman Powell l Power Forward - Anthony Davis | Center - Andre Drummond.
In a hypothetical combined 5 lineup comprising players from both sides, we have picked the Portland Trail Blazers backcourt duo' of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum as the two guards.
Lillard is averaging 28.4 points and 7.6 assists per contest this campaign. The point guard is in conversation for the NBA MVP award, courtesy of his stellar season so far. McCollum, on the other hand, has played a solid supporting role alongside Lillard and is averaging 22.8 points per contest.
The forwards in our lineup will be Portland Trail Blazers' Norman Powell and LA Lakers' Anthony Davis. LeBron James would have been the undisputed pick, but since he is sidelined for the game, Powell slots in as the next best option in the small forward position. The former Raptors forward is averaging 17 points and 1.4 steals per contest since joining the Blazers at the trade deadline this year.
Despite missing a huge chunk of games for the LA Lakers, Anthony Davis has finally found his rhythm and is the best player in the power forward position across both teams. The former All-Star game MVP is averaging 21.4 points, eight rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game this season.
It was difficult to choose the center for this hypothetical lineup. Portland Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic and the LA Lakers' Andre Drummond were in contention for the role. Drummond's production has been superior to Nurkic's this season, giving him the edge over the Blazers' big.
Andre Drummond is averaging 15.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per contest compared to Jusuf Nurkic's 10.9 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Also read: 5 active NBA players with most 40-point games in a losing cause
Guess the Lakers players!
