Can a new-look LA win a second straight tonight?
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Portland Trail Blazers on the road at the Moda Center. The action kicks off at 7 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet.
Even though LeBron James will sit with a sore left ankle for the third straight game tonight, the 26-31 Lakers should still be able to win, as the 27-29 Trail Blazers will be missing at least one starter, center Jusuf Nurkic, and maybe two, with power forward Jerami Grant questionable.
LA and its new pieces should be more than enough to keep things competitive. The Lakers also need to make up a ton of ground in the Western Conference, especially against another competitor for the play-in tournament.
Via The Action Network, here are some solid betting odds for tonight’s action.
The Game Spread
Prior to the announcement of James’s absence, the Lakers were two-point favorites to win tonight on the road. Now, they are 2.5-point underdogs. Portland has a variety of shelved starters (Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic) and role players (Justise Winslow) too, while outside of James and Mo Bamba the Lakers are available. Take Los Angeles to cover.
D’Angelo Russell’s Combined Points + Rebounds
Finally, a new Laker to bet on! D-Lo’s odds vary a bit across different sites (remember, the Action Network is an aggregator of all online betting spots), between 23.5 and 25.5. For the year, he’s averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a night. I’d feel pretty comfortable betting on him to pick up the slack a bit for an LA team that will once again rely on his scoring, but will hedge my bet given how much Dennis Schroder had the ball in his hands during that Warriors win Saturday. Bet on Russell to cover the 23.5 over.
Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube yet? Join the conversation so you can talk about the latest Lakers news and rumors!
