A pivotal Game 3 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers tips off tonight in Orlando. After the Blazers pulled off the upset to open up the series, the Lakers responded in a big way to even things up.
Here is a preview for tonight’s tie-breaker game, along with a series recap and a free pick. As of writing, Los Angeles is a -7.5 point favorite.
Series Recap
The Trail Blazers clawed their way into the postseason, and the momentum continued in Game 1. Led by a 34-point effort from PG Damian Lillard, Portland defeated L.A. 100-93. The Blazers jumped out to a fast start, leading by double-digits after the first quarter. Although the Lakers would climb back into the game and even take the lead at certain points, Portland was able to hold on and pull away in the fourth quarter. C Jusef Nurkic had 16 points and 15 rebounds, while SF Carmelo Anthony also had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Both Lakers stars had decent games, with a 23-17-16 line from SF LeBron James and a 28 and 11 performance from PF Anthony Davis, but L.A. was a dismal 5-for-32 from beyond the arc.
Thursday night, Davis catapulted the Lakers to a series comeback and their first playoff victory since 2012. AD was dominant from the opening tip, finishing with 31 points and 11 boards. The team was also much better from the field, shooting 37% from three and 48% overall. Meanwhile, Lillard was held to just 18 points before leaving the game in the second half with a dislocated left index finger. The star point guard has said though that he will be in the lineup for Game 3. Elsewhere, James had just 10 points, with L.A. getting a nice scoring boost from SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had 16 points mostly from four three-pointers.
Keys to Victory
Los Angeles will win if: They wear down Lillard. The Blazers are a solid team that is led by a superstar in Lillard. The MVP of the bubble was great in Game 1, but when struggles set in during Game 2, Portland was no match for L.A. The Lakers made a point in the second game of the series to make Lillard work hard on defense, constantly running through screens and close in on shooters. As a result, his offense took a hit, as L.A. also did a solid job of picking him up right at mid-court and forcing him into low percentage mid-range shots. With no Avery Bradley in the bubble, the Lakers will have to once again use a rotation of defenders and make stopping Lillard the key to victory.
Portland will win if: They force the Lakers to go outside. Los Angeles has a game plan on offense that revolves a lot around getting the ball inside and using their big men to convert easy buckets. In fact, half of L.A.’s points this series have come inside the paint, far more than any other team in the playoffs. However, their three-point shooting has been streaky to say the least. The Trail Blazers will need to be aggressive in the paint and force L.A. into more three attempts. They also need to get better at rebounding on defense, as the Lakers had 20 second-chance points alone in Game 2. If Portland can turn this game into a three-point shooting contest, they will have the upper hand.
Prediction
I think tonight will be more of a Game 1 feel than Game 2, meaning that this game could come really come down to the end. However, I will give the slight edge to L.A. Even in they don’t go crazy from deep, the loss of PF Zach Collins for the Trail Blazers will allow the Lakers to continue to rely on Davis and C JaVale McGee for much of their offense. I also think LeBron is due for another big performance after just 10 points in Game 2. Lillard will be great, but I don’t think it will quite be enough to get the outright win.
Pick: Lakers win (-335), Trail Blazers cover (+7.5)
