The Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series, but it has been all Lakers ever since that game. Los Angeles is the top seed in the Western Conference, and the Portland Trail Blazers earned the number 8 seed.
A 100-93 victory in Game 1 gave the Trail Blazers momentum, but that has been quickly erased. The Los Angeles Lakers jumped out to a massive lead in Game 4 and cruised to a 135-115 victory.
The Lakers can close out the series with a victory in Game 5, and they are substantial 14.0-point favorites over the Portland Trail Blazers in this game.
No Lillard For Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that Damian Lillard will miss Game 5 with a right knee sprain, and that could very well end any chances the team had of climbing back into this series. Lillard was the hero in the Game 1 victory and has been a considerable scoring threat throughout the playoffs.
Lillard is scoring more than 24 points per game so far in this series, and the entire offense runs through their star. Now there will be pressure put on CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic to deliver.
McCollum is averaging 20 points per game in this series, and he is capable of a big offensive night. Nurkic is averaging a double-double, but much of his focus is on trying to stop Anthony Davis on the defensive end of the floor.
The Trail Blazers are not a deep team, which will be another big issue in this game. Portland has faced adversity all season long, but this will be an unbelievable test.
James Dominating For Lakers
LeBron James is averaging a triple-double so far in the playoffs, and he was unstoppable in the Game 4 victory. “King James” was hitting shots from all over the floor and needed just 28 minutes of playing time to score 30 points.
Anthony Davis has also been terrific so far in this series, and he can carry the team whenever James is having an off night. Davis is averaging 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and he is a matchup nightmare for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Shooting has been a significant concern for the Lakers this entire season, but they were able to change the narrative with a terrific display from the field in the Game 4 win. The Lakers made 17 three-pointers on Monday night, and any team is tough to beat when they shoot like that.
The Lakers do have a deep squad, and their bench is capable of scoring when the first team sits. Los Angeles was the top seed in the Western Conference for a reason.
Lakers Blow Out Shorthanded Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers put up a great fight in this series’s first three games, but it appears that they are running out of gas. Now the Trail Blazers will be playing without their superstar, and it’s hard to envision this game being close.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of incentive to end this series in five games and rest before the next round. The Lakers will come out with something to prove in this game, and it could get ugly in a hurry.
Portland won’t give in, but they don’t have enough talent to keep this game close. Bet the Los Angeles Lakers -14.0 over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of this first-round series.
