By: David Lawrence
So far, they’ve lost all of their preseason games and flopped badly in their home opener, losing outright to a Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks team as a nine-point favorite and are not looking like the hottest team in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to be the preeminent team in the Western Conference. After acquiring Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison and watching the Oklahoma City Thunder trade away James Harden..
NBA Betting – Lakers vs. Trail Blazers Picks
..they were supposed to be unstoppable. Some people even said they could challenge the records for 72 wins.
So far, they’ve lost all of their preseason games and flopped badly in their home opener, losing outright to a Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks team as a nine-point favorite and are not looking like the hottest team in the NBA.
So let’s just start with one win before we anoint this team champs. They’ll get another shot to get that win against the Trail Blazers tonight where they are three-point favorites in the Rose Garden.
The Lakers can win because:
Portland stinks. While the Mavericks at least have some semblance of a team, the Trail Blazers are a team that is rebuilding from scratch and the Lakers should be able to outclass them on talent alone.
Yesterday was the opening night of the regular season and the Lakers were already facing plenty of pressure. Playing at home simply amplified that. In many ways, going on the road should take some heat off of them and allow them to focus on basketball.
Look for them to be more composed, more relaxed and more focused tonight. This team is too talented to lose two straight to start the season – even if they haven’t gelled yet.
The Trail Blazers can win because:
The Lakers are just not functioning like a team. Not only did they go winless in the preseason, they didn’t look good in any of those contests. We’re talking about a team that lost by an average of 15.3 points per game. Then they opened up the regular season at home against a hapless Mavericks team and lost by eight. Now they are in a back-to-back situation with two stars that aren’t fully healthy (Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant) and they have to go on the road.
The odds makers have quickly adjusted the lines to reflect the Lakers struggles. Had they won last night, they probably would have been favored by about five or six. Instead, it’s a very speculative three-point spread.
The Trail Blazers won two of their three games at the Rose Garden in the preseason and should have a slight edge with the home court.
Outlook & NBA Betting Prediction:
This is a tough game to call but I’m not going to pass up the Lakers as a three-point favorite. I don’t think much of the Dallas Mavericks but at least they are coached well and have a decent team. The same can’t be said for Portland, who was simply awful last season and hasn’t done much to recover in the offseason.
The Lakers should win this game on talent alone. Covering three points isn’t crazy but if they fail to do so, then it’s time to fire Mike Brown and get a real coach in here. The Lakers have no business losing in Portland.
NBA Betting Picks: Lakers -3 ---
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