The Los Angeles Lakers travel to the Moda Center to do battle with the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Los Angeles Lakers 

The Los Angeles Lakers were riding a three-game win streak before they got stopped in their tracks by the Kings in a 125-110 loss on Wednesday. LeBron James led the team with a triple-double of 28 points with 10 rebounds and 12 assists, D’Angelo Russell added 28 points with five assists while Cameron Reddish chipped in with 16 points and five steals. As a team, the Lakers shot 50 percent from the field and 11 of 29 from the 3-point line as they didn’t come out ready to play and got burned by 38 points in the first quarter to fall behind big and things only got worse in the third quarter where they fell behind by 26 points. The Lakers did make a bit of a run in the fourth quarter to make it interesting late, but they turned it over at the wrong times to finish with 23 turnovers for the game. 

Los Angeles Lakers Team Facts

• The Lakers have won each of their last six games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
• The Lakers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six games as favorites against Northwest Division opponents.
• Four of the Lakers’ last five games as road favorites following a home loss have gone OVER the total points line.

Portland Trail Blazers 

Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers will be hoping to put an end to a five-game losing streak after getting routed by the Cavaliers in a 109-95 loss on Wednesday. Jerami Grant led the team with 17 points, Duop Reath added 16 points off the bench while Skylar Mays chipped in with 13 points and four assists. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot just 37 percent from the field and 13 of 38 from the 3-point line as they fell behind early and could never get in front against a Cavaliers team that was shooting 56 percent from the field. DeAndre Ayton had himself a quiet game of six points on three of 10 shooting while Shaedon Sharpe shot just two of 12 for his 11 points. 

Portland Trail Blazers Team Facts

• The Trail Blazers have lost each of their last 10 games against Pacific Division opponents.
• The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in 13 of their last 14 games as home underdogs following a loss.
• Each of the Trail Blazers’ last six games against Pacific Division opponents have gone OVER the total points line.

Peter’s Pick

The Lakers are still missing Gabe Vincent and they have LeBron James listed as questionable, while the Trail Blazers are still shorthanded as Malcolm Brogdon and Scoot Henderson are still out. The Lakers were on a nice run before they got beaten by the Kings on Wednesday, so I like them to take advantage of this depleted Trail Blazers squad who have lost five straight. Yes, the Lakers could be missing James for this one, but Davis will be eager to bounce back from his poor performance on Wednesday, so I’ll back the Lakers to get it done on the road.