Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Point Spread Picks

The Lakers and Trail Blazers have both been trending UNDER. LA has hit the UNDER in six of its last 10 games, while the Blazers have gone UNDER in seven of their last 10 games. There is going to be a lot of missing firepower, too, in this game. Luka Dončić won't play because of groin soreness. He is the NBA's leading scorer at 33.6 points a game. The Lakers remain without Austin Reaves, their second leading scorer, who averages 26.6 points a game. Center DeAndre Ayton is questionable with knee soreness. He is LA's fourth-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game. The Lakers' bench contributed only nine points in a 135-117 home loss to the Hornets this past Thursday. Portland has a major injury, too, with its leading scorer and breakout star, Deni Avdija, sidelined with a back injury. Avdija is averaging 26.1 points per game. Portland has held three of its last five opponents to 105 or fewer points. Take the UNDER.

Los Angeles is 2-1 despite the absence of LeBron James, and even without Luka Doncic, the Lakers beat Sacramento 127-120 on Sunday night as Austin Reaves hit four free throws in the final 32 seconds and totaled 51 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Portland dropped to 1-2 after losing 114-107 to the Clippers, shooting just 37 percent and 11-for-41 from 3-point range. The Trail Blazers' defense wasn't any better as the Clippers shot 55 percent with Kawhi Leonard scoring 30 points. Portland is obviously in disarray amid the coaching turmoil, and it will take time for interim head coach Tiago Splitter to sort things out. The past four meetings have gone UNDER, and Portland has gone UNDER six of seven when playing on no rest, dating back to last season. Take the Lakers and the UNDER.

A meaningless finale for Los Angeles. Leading scorers LeBron James (left groin strain) and Luka Dončić (left quad) won't play. Portland is 22nd in the NBA in scoring, 26th in shooting, 27th in 3-point shooting, and 25th from the free-throw line. They played at home in the last game, scoring 86 points against Golden State in a game that sailed UNDER by 32 points. Take Los Angeles/Portland UNDER the total.

Los Angeles will be in an angry mood after losing to lowly Charlotte last night as the Hornets went on a 22-1 run in the third quarter and LeBron James missed two 3-point tries right before the buzzer to give Charlotte a 100-97 victory. Look for the Lakers to bounce back as James and Luka Doncic get more comfortable playing on the same team. Portland has lost three in a row by an average of 19 points and didn't cover the number in any of them. The Trail Blazers are 0-6 ATS after allowing more than 125 points their previous game. The Lakers have covered the past four meetings and Portland has lost 15 of 20 outright against Pacific Division opponents. The Trail Blazers have gone OVER six of eight versus the Western Conference and the Lakers have gone OVER six of eight on the road. Portland is 4-0-1 OVER its past five against teams with .600 winning percentages. Los Angeles is on a 6-2 ATS run. Take the Lakers and the OVER.