We put another win on the board in the NBA last night with a narrow victory in the Magic vs. Suns game. I probably should’ve just taken the Suns to win the game, because that was an easy victory. However, I won’t complain about a win. There were only two NBA games last night, and tonight we have nine on the schedule. One that stands out to me is the game between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers.
The Portland Trail Blazers are arguably the most impressive team in the early season. Coming into tonight, the team is 6-1 with a 5-0 record on the road this season. They were a solid team last season, mostly due to the advancement of Deni Avdija. Last year, he averaged 24.2 points per game, which was seven points more per game than he had averaged in any other season. This year he is at 23.4 points per game, but he has also maintained his rebounding and assist outputs from last season as well.
Coming into the season, I was a bit skeptical of the Trail Blazers. The team was going to be deep at guard, but I wasn’t sure how effective the combination would be. Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, and Ja Morant (Morant is out) seemed like they wouldn’t be able to mix together. At least in the beginning of the season, I’ve been wrong about that. The team is deep, plays defense, and doesn’t seem to have any issues with the offense. Lillard, in his return to Portland, has been outstanding, averaging 20 points in just under 30 minutes.
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It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the better teams in the league. They moved on from LeBron James in the offseason, which isn’t exactly a good thing, but doesn’t appear to be a bad thing either. It has certainly opened up Luka Doncic to cook even more on offense. He is averaging an absurd 38.5 points per game this year on almost 50% shooting. Doncic is also averaging eight assists per game, but that’s also coming with five turnovers per game.
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The rest of the team has found some good balance as well. Austin Reaves remains a solid second option, and Walker Kessler has been an awesome addition to the team. He is averaging 14.4 points per game on 72% shooting, 10.2 rebounds per game, and 2.7 blocks per game. The rest of the team is mostly role players, but that hasn’t mattered so far. The Lakers are 7-2 for the season with losses coming against the Warriors on the road, and the other to the Trail Blazers at home.
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This is a revenge game for the Lakers. As good as Portland has been this season, I don’t think this is a great spot for them. They’ve been on the road for a few games, and they’ve won them all comfortably, but they have a game tomorrow at home. I like fading teams on the last game of a road trip, and the Lakers won’t want to lose twice to this team. I expect a good effort from them. Give me the Lakers -2.5.
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