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The clash between the LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night will have huge ramifications on the Western Conference play-in tournament picture. Both teams have a 37-29 record and the loser of this tie will fall to the seventh seed. The matchup will also act as a tiebreaker between the Lakers and the Blazers.
Match Details
Fixture: LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Friday, May 7th, 10 PM ET (Saturday, May 8th, 7:30 AM IST)
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
LA Lakers Preview
The LA Lakers are in free-fall right now. They've lost seven of their last 10 games and the possibility of them dropping to the play-in tournament is rather high right now. Frank Vogel's unit didn't perform to its potential even after the returns of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The LA Lakers continue to deal with injury troubles as well. LeBron is set to miss the rest of the week as he remains cautionary about his ankle. Dennis Schroder entered the NBA's health and safety protocols last week and could miss the rest of the regular season.
Anthony Davis also suffered a back injury scare last night against the LA Clippers. Davis mentioned in the post-match comments that he should be ready to play against the Portland Trail Blazers. AD masterminded the LA Lakers' last win against the Denver Nuggets with 25 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Key Player - Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma was the only player on the LA Lakers with a respectable box score last night against the Clippers. Kuzma managed 25 points, five rebounds and four assists. He also dropped 24 points against the Raptors last Sunday. Kuzma hasn't been consistent this season, but if Anthony Davis isn't fully fit against the Portland Trail Blazers, he may have to step up to the plate.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G - Alex Caruso, G - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, F - Kyle Kuzma, F - Anthony Davis, C - Andre Drummond
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers returned to winning ways by blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Terry Stotts' men won five matchups out of their six-game road trip. This includes statement victories against the likes of the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
CJ McCollum struggled against the Cavs but he's been in pretty good nick otherwise. McCollum has averaged 21 points, 4.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds over the last 10 games for the Portland Trail Blazers. Carmelo Anthony has also provided valuable contributions off the bench lately. Melo has averaged 15.2 points on 54% shooting in the last five matchups.
The Portland Trail Blazers will receive an injury boost against the LA Lakers. Norman Powell missed out against the Cavs due to a knee issue, but he's been listed as probable for tonight's fixture.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard struggled for form throughout April but he's finally regained his imperial shooting touch. Lillard has averaged 30.8 points, 9.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the last four matchups while shooting at a 50-50-90 clip. Dame Dolla has scored a combined 66 points in the two games between the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Lakers this season and will be looking to add to this tally on Friday.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Damian Lillard, G - CJ McCollum, F - Norman Powell, F - Robert Covington, C - Jusuf Nurkic
Lakers vs Trail Blazers Match Prediction
The Portland Trail Blazers enter this game as the favorites. They're in good form, are defending better and have an almost fully fit squad. In comparison, the LA Lakers are a mess right now. Multiple injuries have prevented them from building any chemistry and the players have been largely inconsistent at an individual level. Expect Lillard and co. to win this tie.
Where to watch Lakers vs Trail Blazers?
National telecast of this matchup will be available on ESPN while local coverage of the same will be carried by Spectrum SportsNet and NBC Sports Northwest. You can also live stream this game on the NBA League Pass.
Guess the Lakers players!
