by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Dec 31, 2021
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: Spectrum Sportsnet, ROOT Sports
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Lakers -6; O/U 230.5; Lakers -240, Blazers +195
BetMGM: Lakers -5.5; O/U 230.5; Lakers -222, Blazers +180
Caesars: Lakers -5.5; O/U 230.5
Season record
Trail Blazers: 13-21 (12th place, Western Conference)
Trail Blazers: 13-21 (12th place, Western Conference)
Lakers: 17-19 (7th place, Western Conference
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Blazers - Lakers preview and analysis
Recent form
Blazers: lost three straight; lost 120-105 vs. Jazz on Wednesday
Lakers: lost six of seven; lost 104-99 at Grizzlies on Wednesday
We are officially living in the end times. The Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers are both playing poorly and do not look anywhere near what we expected.
The teams will play on Friday in Los Angeles, a game in which the Lakers are favored by as high as a touchdown and I have no idea whether to believe in them or not. The Lakers are on a run of losing six of seven with their lone win against the young and inexperienced Houston Rockets back on Tuesday.
We're seeing so many instances of the Lakers being underdogs. They got points for the third time in six games on Wednesday, a 104-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies; but the Lakers got six points and narrowly covered for the second straight game and only third time in the last eight.
LeBron James, one day before his 37th birthday, turned back the clock with a 37-point, 13-rebound, 7-assist performance in 38 minutes; LeBron shot 13 of 25 from the floor and went 8 of 14 from 3-point range.
The problem with the Anthony Davis-less Lakers is no one else can make a shot outside LeBron. Russell Westbrook had a triple-double of 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot 7 of 16 to get there. Malik Monk was the only other player to score in double figures.
"Coming out in the third quarter it got away from us," Monk said. "It was super frustrating because we've been doing that all year."
One name from the Lakers' rotation is gone -- again -- with the reports that Rajon Rondo was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday to fill the void left by the injured Ricky Rubio. Darren Collison becomes the backup point guard behind Westbrook, with Monk serving filling in on occasions.
But just when you think the sky is falling for the Lakers, it's crashing down in the Rose City right now. Even with a healthy Damian Lillard, the Blazers are down so much depth and reliable players that it's impossible to trust them right now.
The Blazers could not take advantage of a Donovan Mitchell-less Utah Jazz team the other night, losing 120-105 at home against the division rivals. Damian Lillard and Norman Powell each went for 32 points, and Larry Nance Jr. pitched in with a near triple-double of his own (14 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).
The problem was Lillard (-22) and Powell (-13) were attacked heavily on defense. Portland shot just 42 percent from the floor for their third straight ATS loss and sixth in eight games.
"Just the size was overwhelming for us, but I did like that we competed," Lillard said. "But obviously, there was only so much that we could have done about that."
We are officially living in the end times. The Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers are both playing poorly and do not look anywhere near what we expected.
The teams will play on Friday in Los Angeles, a game in which the Lakers are favored by as high as a touchdown and I have no idea whether to believe in them or not. The Lakers are on a run of losing six of seven with their lone win against the young and inexperienced Houston Rockets back on Tuesday.
We're seeing so many instances of the Lakers being underdogs. They got points for the third time in six games on Wednesday, a 104-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies; but the Lakers got six points and narrowly covered for the second straight game and only third time in the last eight.
LeBron James, one day before his 37th birthday, turned back the clock with a 37-point, 13-rebound, 7-assist performance in 38 minutes; LeBron shot 13 of 25 from the floor and went 8 of 14 from 3-point range.
The problem with the Anthony Davis-less Lakers is no one else can make a shot outside LeBron. Russell Westbrook had a triple-double of 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot 7 of 16 to get there. Malik Monk was the only other player to score in double figures.
"Coming out in the third quarter it got away from us," Monk said. "It was super frustrating because we've been doing that all year."
One name from the Lakers' rotation is gone -- again -- with the reports that Rajon Rondo was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday to fill the void left by the injured Ricky Rubio. Darren Collison becomes the backup point guard behind Westbrook, with Monk serving filling in on occasions.
But just when you think the sky is falling for the Lakers, it's crashing down in the Rose City right now. Even with a healthy Damian Lillard, the Blazers are down so much depth and reliable players that it's impossible to trust them right now.
The Blazers could not take advantage of a Donovan Mitchell-less Utah Jazz team the other night, losing 120-105 at home against the division rivals. Damian Lillard and Norman Powell each went for 32 points, and Larry Nance Jr. pitched in with a near triple-double of his own (14 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).
The problem was Lillard (-22) and Powell (-13) were attacked heavily on defense. Portland shot just 42 percent from the floor for their third straight ATS loss and sixth in eight games.
"Just the size was overwhelming for us, but I did like that we competed," Lillard said. "But obviously, there was only so much that we could have done about that."
Prediction
Surprisingly with the lack of defense lately on both sides, the under has been a popular pick with the Blazers. The over, meanwhile, has worked with the Lakers (4-2 in last six). As difficult as it is to believe, I trust the Lakers' depth more than Portland's and that will decide this game. Lakers by 7
Betting trends
The Blazers are 14-28 ATS as a dog between 3.5 and 9.5 points over the past three seasons.
The Blazers are 2-11 ATS as an underdog this season.
The Lakers are 6-14 ATS at home this season.
The Lakers are 8-19 ATS following three losses in four games over the past three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Trail Blazers:
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Tony Snell
SF: Nasir Little
PF: Norman Powell
C: Larry Nance Jr.
SF: Nasir Little
PF: Norman Powell
C: Larry Nance Jr.
Lakers:
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Malik Monk
SF: Avery Bradley
PF: LeBron James
C: Dwight Howard
SF: Avery Bradley
PF: LeBron James
C: Dwight Howard
Key injuries
Blazers: C.J. McCollum (lung, out); COVID -- Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons, Cody Zeller
Lakers: Anthony Davis (knee, out), Avery Bradley (head, questionable), Trevor Ariza (COVID), Kent Bazemore (COVID, out), Kendrick Nunn (COVID, out)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
