Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James in a playoff matchup? Let’s go! The former 2003 NBA lottery picks are going to face off in the first round of the playoffs, as the smoking Portland Trail Blazers put the Los Angeles Lakers in a series starting this Tuesday. Check out our preview of Game 1 below.
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Betting Preview for the Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 1 on August 18, 2020
Where: Walt Disney World, Orlando
When: Tuesday, August 18, 2020, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Portland Trail Blazers (Odds) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Odds) – view all 2020 NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (odds)
Regular Season Record: 35-39
Portland has a tall order in the first round of the playoffs, but at least the Blazers will be facing a seemingly struggling Lakers squad. Conversely, the Blazers have the best version of Damian Lillard heading into Game 1. Lillard showed further proof why he is the MVP of the seeding games with another exhilarating performance in the Blazers’ 126-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference on Saturday, scoring 31 points and recording 10 assists. Since the restart, Lillard has been lighting it up with 37.6 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting from the field. It could also be remembered that Lillard exploded for 48 points with seven 3-pointers in the Blazers’ 127-119 road win over the Lakers last January — and that was when Portland was still missing Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins due to injuries.
The Blazers are 6-3-1 against the spread in their last 10 games.
Betting on the Los Angeles Lakers (odds)
Regular Season Record: 52-19
It’s time for the Lakers to step it up. After an underwhelming series of performances in the seeding games in which they went just 3-8 straight up, LeBron James and the Lakers are looking to flip the switch and demonstrate why they are the top seed in the West. The Lakers are not shooting the ball well down in Orlando, where they are 21st in scoring with just 106.4 points per game and 19th with 43.8 percent shooting from the field. Regardless of what the numbers say, though, the Lakers are entering the playoffs with MVP finalist James and arguably the best big man in the NBA in Anthony Davis, who averaged 32.0 points and 11.3 rebounds in the last three meetings with Portland. However, Davis will be challenged better this time by the beefier frontcourt of Portland. Which brings us back to James, whose experience and playmaking ability will be valuable in finding Davis great scoring opportunities. James finished the regular season as the assist-king in the NBA with 10.2 dimes per contest.
The over is 3-0 in the Lakers’ last three games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Lakers win, 120-116.
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