Basketball | Wednesday, November 30, 2022 1:37 PM (Revised at: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 1:38 PM)

Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Best Bet: Tables Turning in LA

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bettingexpert Senior Global Sports Editor

Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Best Bet: Wednesday, November 30th

The final game day of the month has 13 games on the slate, so let’s finish November strong with a high-value wager in the west. The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. Their first encounter of the season was a close 104-106 win for the Blazers on the road, but that was then and this is now! The turntables have now… and we have a completely different situation on our hands.

In this article:

Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Preview

Thu, Dec 1st. 02:30 (UK time)

The Lakers have had a very disappointing start to the season, sitting 13th in the Western Conference with a 7-12 record. They have been one of the least profitable teams in the league so far, but they are turning it around and I’m hoping to use this window to make some profit by backing them. They have covered the spread in 3 of their last 5 games, and the return of James to their roster has added even more confidence. The Lakers have been terrible on the road, sure, but their NET rating has seen an increase by almost 9 points at home.

The Lakers have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, ranking 27th in offensive rating and shooting terrible percentages from deep. However, this
has changed over their last 5 games, where they have ranked 16th in offensive rating, and are now draining a respectable 35% from downtown. The Lakers also love to push the pace, with a rating of 102.6, and this results in a lot of transition baskets, averaging 16.2 fastbreak points per game. They haven’t had the best record ATS at home this season, but they are facing a team that won’t be able to deal with their playing style.

The Portland Trail Blazers have taken the league by storm this season, starting off with a 4-game winning streak, and hovering atop the Western Conference. They have fallen off a cliff recently, only winning 3 of their last 10 games, and are now 7th in the conference. They are coming off a 118-112 loss to the Clippers last night, where Anfernee Simons exploded for 37 points, followed by Jerami Grant with 32. For the Blazers, Damian Lillard remains out with a calf injury, along with GP III and Keon Johnson, whilst Nassir Little is listed as a ‘game-time decision.’

The Blazers haven’t been very good at scoring either, averaging 109.8 points per game, but their efficiency has been better, ranking 15th in offensive rating and making a very high percentage of their threes. However, the Lakers have one of the more solid perimeter defences in the league, allowing an opponent 3-point percentage of 34.0% and conceding 11.9 threes per game. But the biggest weakness the Blazers have is their bench scoring, as they have by far the worst bench in the league, averaging just 25.1 points per game, whilst the Lakers are 9th with 36.5.