Sign In $
NBA

Trail Blazers vs. Lakers Game 2 Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read


Thursday's NBA playoff finale will pit the No. 1 L.A. Lakers squaring off against the No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 of their first-round series. The "Purple and Gold" look to rebound from a Game 1 upset loss.

Betting Resources

Betting Odds - Trail Blazers vs. Lakers

The L.A. Lakers opened as a 5-point favorite for Game 2 at DraftKings and 5.5 at Westgate SuperBook, but most shops had top-seeded L.A. as a 6-point 'chalk. You can still find -6 at a number of books but most have the Lakers listed as a 6.5-point favorite as of Wednesday evening.

The total opened at 227 at Caesars, but has hovered in the 228-229 range as tip-off approaches.

Be sure to follow all the line movements.

Game 1 Recap

The Trail Blazers closed on a 19-6 run over the final 6:38 to defeat the Lakers in a game where they let a 16-point first half edge slip away. A LeBron James' 3-pointer with 7:21 left gave L.A. a game-high six-point lead but he was limited to a tip-in and Anthony Davis managed only a dunk in the entire fourth quarter, missing a pair of free throws as well.

The Lakers shot a horrendous 5-for-32 from 3-point range (15.6 percent) while only Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green joined Davis and James in scoring in double-figures. The Lakers shot 35 percent from the field against a Blazers defense that was regularly roasted in seeding games despite their 7-2 record to reach the playoffs. Portland gave up 121 points in seven of their nine contests and hadn't held an opponent under 100 points since Jan. 7, a span of 37 games.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 34 points, five rebounds and five assists while backcourt mate C.J. McCollum added 21 points. Jusuf Nurkic and Carmelo Anthony chipped in with double-doubles.

Game 1 Betting Results

Outcome: Trail Blazers 100 Lakers 93

  • Game: Trail Blazers Win, Trail Blazers Cover (+6.5), Under 234
  • First Quarter: Trail Blazers Win (36-25), Trail Blazers Cover (+1.5), Over 60.5
  • First-Half: Trail Blazers Win (57-56), Trail Blazers Cover (+3.5), Under 119
  • Second-Half: Trail Blazers Win (43-37), Trail Blazers Cover (+5.5), Under 116

Trail Blazers vs. Lakers
How to Handicap Game 2

(SU-Straight Up, ATS - Against the Spread, OU - Over-Under)

Trail Blazers Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

  • Overall: 36-39 SU, 33-40-3 ATS, 45-31 O/U
  • Bubble: 8-2 SU, 6-3-1 ATS, 8-2 O/U

Portland cited the fact that it has been playing playoff games for the duration of its stay in the bubble as one reason it was able to respond as effectively as it was able to in the first half. The Blazers racked up 36 first-quarter points and ended up winning three of the four quarters.

The Blazers hadn't been this heavy an underdog since action resumed prior to the closing number for Game 1 reaching 6.5. They were last this heavy a 'dog when they were getting 10 points at Indiana on Feb. 27.

In case the line gets to Blazers +7, you should be aware that it went 2-9 straight up in games as an underdog of seven or more points (5-6 ATS).

Lakers Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats

  • Overall: 52-20 SU, 36-35-1 ATS, 34-38 O/U
  • Bubble: 3-6 SU, 1-8 ATS, 4-5 O/U

The Lakers lacked intensity throughout the contest and need to figure out how to solve their offensive woes before they find themselves in a major hole in the series. James has found it difficult to get himself going without fans in the stands but still came through with a triple-double in Game 1 while shooting 9-for-20.

While Kuzma is considered the third member of L.A.'s "Big Three" and finished third on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), he's not out there with Davis and James often and does his damage while giving those guys their breather. Someone who sees minutes in that starting lineup has to step up as the third option. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 0-for-9, missing all five 3-point attempts. He finished with one point, one rebound and one assist in Game 1 despite playing nearly 30 minutes.

L.A. ranked last in the bubble in scoring, 3-point shooting and assists despite James leading the league in that latter category for the first time in his storied career. Dion Waiters played just one minute while Alex Caruso got the bulk of the reserve backcourt minutes. I expect that will change in Game 2.

Key Injuries

Portland

  • Zach Collins: Ankle – Out

L.A. Lakers

  • LeBron James: Groin - Probable
  • Anthony Davis: Knee - Probable
  • Rajon Rondo: Hand - Questionable
  • Avery Bradley: Personal - Out

Blazers power forward Zach Collins missed Game 1 and has been ruled out until at least Game 5 due to a stress reaction in his left ankle. Wenyen Gabriel started in Game 1 but Hassan Whiteside played most of the meaningful minutes, contributing seven points, eight boards and five blocks.

James and Davis were listed on the injury report with nagging ailments but are otherwise fine. Bradley opted not to play in the bubble, while Rondo is still recovering from surgery and was upgraded to 'questionable' on Wednesday night, fueling hope that he'll debut this weekend if not in this Game 2. Green says a lingering headache has prevented him from playing to his potential but he expects to be himself soon.

Game 2 Best Bet Pick

The Blazers played their best defensive game in months and benefited from brutal 3-point shooting, but you can't put a lot of stock in what transpired in the series opener since the game slowed to a tempo we're unlikely to see in Game 2 due to L.A.'s inefficiency.

The Lakers played poorly and still found themselves in position to put the game away when the final minutes rolled around. Dame Time caught up with the Lakers, but they've got a couple of guys who typically deliver when the time to win rolls around. That should be the case in Game 2, which should see L.A. even things up.

Score Prediction: L.A. Lakers 124 Portland 112

Nba News

VegasInsider Staff

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff
•