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The LA Lakers will return home after a six-game road trip to host the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
Coming off a 121-129 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the LA Lakers found themselves on a three-game losing slide. Although their position as the ninth seed in the West is fairly safe, they found themselves a whole game behind the eighth spot.
Similarly, the Portland Trail Blazers have also fallen upon hard times with losses. Coming off a 98-81 loss to the OKC Thunder, which dropped the Blazers to a 21-30 record on the season.
Wednesday's game will be the third installment in the four-game season series between the two sides. With the series level, both teams will look to take advantage at this point in the season.
Match Details
Fixture - Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers | 2021-22 NBA Season
Date & Time - Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022; 10:30 PM ET (Thursday, February 3rd, 2022; 9:00 AM IST)
Venue - Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have been riddled with misfortune this season. Starting off with poor adjustments in the new system to injuries to their roster, the Trail Blazers have really struggled to get going.
A large part of this could be attributed to the absence of their stars. With CJ McCollum recovering from a collapsed lung relatively recently and Damian Lillard being out with an abdominal tear, Portland has been significantly short on star power.
There have been some positive developments as Anfernee Simons enjoys a breakthrough season. Unfortunately, the overall look of the team has been anything but satisfactory.
With their second loss in a row against OKC, the Portland Trail Blazers have gone 1-4 in their last five games. Three games behind the LA Lakers at this stage of the season, Portland is barely clinging onto the tenth spot.
Key Player - Anfernee Simons
The key player for the Portland Trail Blazers in this upcoming fixture will be Anfernee Simons. Although Simons was listed on the injury report with a hip contusion, he has been upgraded to probable, which is a great sign for Portland.
Simons has seen a breakout season with the Trail Blazers this year. Although he stepped in for Lillard, the 22-year old has been a solid contributor on the offensive front for the side.
Simons is averaging 15.6 points and 3.7 assists per game this season. Those numbers have skyrocketed in the last 10 games, where he's averaged 20.7 points and 6.2 assists.
Although he had a poor shooting night against the OKC Thunder, the Trail Blazers will hope Simons finds his scoring rhythm against LA.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Anfernee Simons | G - CJ McCollum | F - Norman Powell | F - Robert Covington | C - Jusuf Nurkic
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LA Lakers Preview
Riddled with injuries to their stars again, the Lakers continue to fall off the Western Conference leaderboard as they have gone 1-4 in their last five games.
With LeBron James out of the rotation, the Lakers have lost three consecutive games. With James potentially missing more games with a knee injury, the Purple and Gold find themselves in a serious predicament.
However, LA saw a spark of hope in the game against Charlotte, with Russell Westbrook leading the charge against the Hornets team. The follow-up performance was relatively mild in comparison.
The LA Lakers have a lot of concerns to address as they head into their next matchup. Three wins away from a .500 record, the Lakers are in terrible shape as the All-Star Weekend gets near.
Key Player - Anthony Davis
The key player for the LA Lakers heading into their home game will be Anthony Davis. Davis was also listed on the injury report but has since been upgraded to probable against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Davis has been a rare sighting for the Lakers this season. However, his recent performances have shown why he is considered one of the best big men in the league.
Davis has recorded a season average of 23.2 points and 9.5 rebounds. After missing a majority of the season, Davis returned with a monster performance against the Philadelphia 76ers, followed by another big game against the Hawks.
The Lakers superstar has a lot of influence on the game. Dominating on the rebounding front while also locking down most positions defensively, Davis being available is the key to a successful campaign for LA going forward.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G - Russell Westbrook | G - Avery Bradley | F - Malik Monk | F - Stanley Johnson | C - Anthony Davis
Trail Blazers vs Lakers Match Predictions
The LA Lakers can be favored to win in this matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
With both teams facing a losing slide, the Lakers will enjoy a slight advantage while playing at home. Roster issues will also see Portland in a largely unfavorable position.
Should Anfernee Simons and CJ McCollum find their footing on the scoring front, Portland may see a shift in their favor. Otherwise, the Lakers should manage a win.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs Lakers game?
The Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers game will be locally broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can listen to the game by tuning into ESPN LA 710/KWKW (S).
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