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The NBA seeding games are finally done, and in the league's first-ever play-in tournament shortly after, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies to get them into the playoffs, where they go up against the LA Lakers.
This will be a battle that many will be looking out for. So who will get to the second round? The LA Lakers or the Portland Trail Blazers?
Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers Prediction
We expect this series to be won by the LA Lakers by a 4-2 margin. This will be a hard-fought series with the Portland Trail Blazers fighting tooth and nail to make it past the LA Lakers to the second round.
With LeBron James leading the way, we expect the Lakers to perform far better than they did in the seeding games. We look forward to both LeBron James and Anthony Davis stepping up in the playoffs. Kyle Kuzma's scoring will also be crucial in the first round.
The Portland Trail Blazers will need Damian Lillard to continue his stellar scoring run for them to have a chance in this series. CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and other role players will also need to perform at an elite level against the LA Lakers' defense.
Also Read: NBA star Jusuf Nurkic features against Memphis after tragically losing grandmother to Covid-19
Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers key match-ups
Here are some of the match-ups that could be crucial in deciding the outcome of this blockbuster series.
#1 Damian Lillard vs LeBron James
It will be a battle of top point guards as Damian Lillard and LeBron James face off in this exciting first-round match-up. Damian Lillard has been absolutely lights-out in the NBA bubble, averaging 34 points and 8.5 assists in the seeding games. His clutch scoring and insane playmaking have led the Portland Trail Blazers to the playoffs.
LeBron James, who struggled initially, has found his rhythm and as always, we expect him to transform into a monster come playoff time. Despite putting up decent numbers, LeBron James has not been at his dominant best in the seeding games. The Lakers have been working on new offensive strategies and we look forward to LeBron James taking off against Damian Lillard.
The two NBA superstars will definitely be guarding each other for much of this series. The outcome of this series will greatly depend on which point guard can come up on top in this match-up. Will Lillard's insane scoring flatten the LA Lakers? Or will LeBron James' playmaking destroy the Portland Trail Blazers' defense?
#2 Jusuf Nurkic vs Anthony Davis
The LA Lakers tend to score a lot of their points in the paint and average 52.8 points scored in the paint this season. This is because of Anthony Davis' presence in the interior. The Portland Trail Blazers have also been scoring a lot of points in the paint with Jusuf Nurkic back in action. Nurkic and Davis will definitely go up against each other in a battle under the basket.
The defensive and offensive battles in the interior will be crucial to the outcome of this series. The LA Lakers, in particular, will need Anthony Davis to step up against the Portland Trail Blazers' big man Nurkic and continue scoring at a high rate.
Nurkic, on the other hand, will look to shut down Anthony Davis and force the scoring responsibilities on LeBron James and other the other LA Lakers players. Both players will try to get the other in foul trouble to gain dominance of the paint. We look forward to this match-up to see which big man leads their team to victory.
#3 Gary Trent Jr. vs Kyle Kuzma
Bench scoring will be key in this series and both Gary Trent Jr. and Kyle Kuzma have been stars for their teams with clutch three-point shooting in the seeding games. Gary Trent Jr. has also been crucial to the Portland Trail Blazers' transition defense with his steals.
Kyle Kuzma has shown us why he is considered the LA Lakers' third option scorer and displayed his abilities with a game-winning three-pointer against the Denver Nuggets. These two bench stars will be crucial to give their teams the edge in close games.
Also Read: LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Match Preview - August 18th 2020 | Game 1
