Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers 11/6/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Matchup Preview (11/6/21)

Two seasons ago, the Los Angeles Lakers (5-4) were NBA Champions. Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers (3-5) were the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but they don’t look even remotely the same after their sluggish start to the year. This is doubly true for Damian Lillard, who is one of the game’s greatest sharpshooters but has merely averaged 23.4% from behind the arc through the Blazers’ first eight games. On the other hand, the Lakers can’t seem to stay healthy. They will be without LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn, and possibly, Anthony Davis, depending on the significance of his injury (thumb sprain).

Portland will need to play some semblance of defense against a Lakers offense that has been quite successful in the early part of the 2021-22 season. Defensively, Portland has been miserable, ranking 24th in defensive efficiency, 27th in opponent 3P% (three-point percentage), and 28th in eFG% (effective field goal percentage). The Blazers could also use a breakout game from Damian Lillard to help pull away with a win.

The Lakers really need a healthy and motivated Anthony Davis to snag a crucial road win against the Blazers. Without Davis and James, the Lakers’ offense will be quite stagnant and without direction. If Davis plays, then Los Angeles stands a chance; however, if he doesn’t, then it would require a monster, MVP-like game from Westbrook to win.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Odds

When writing this article on the morning of Friday, November 5, odds have not been made available by the sportsbooks to the public. Still, there are plenty of statistics and catalysts to help us contrive an opinion on this bout.

Portland has a 3-1 record at home against the spread despite being 3-5 overall. The Blazers are a miserable 0-4 on the road against the spread and overall, but luckily for them, they will be playing at the Moda Center in this matchup. The Lakers are at an atrocious 2-7 against the spread even though they are over .500 overall.

The outcome of this game should depend on the availability of Anthony Davis. If Davis is a “no-go,” then the Lakers will rely heavily on Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony for offense. This will inevitably hurt the Lakers’ high-ranking offense and allow the Trail Blazers an opportunity to capitalize. Los Angeles is just atrocious against the spread, and Portland plays well at home. The injury report for the Lakers is just another reason to fade them.

TV Schedule

Date: 11/6/21
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Arena: Moda Center – Portland, OR
Channel: NBA TV

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Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Kent Bazemore
SF: Avery Bradley
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Deandre Jordan

Los Angeles Lakers Analysis

What more could go wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers? After a hyper, busy off-season where they completely remodeled the team, the Lakers seem to have already fallen apart due to injury. They do not look too great, especially on the defensive end, where they rank 27th in opponent points per game, 22nd in opponent eFG%, and 21st in opponent 3P%. Last season, the Lakers finished first in defensive efficiency but are not mirroring that this year. Additionally, injuries to LeBron James, Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and now Anthony Davis have forced this team to dive deep into their depth chart to try and find help. Starting Avery Bradley was probably not on their 2021-22 season “Bingo” card. Regardless, they will need to try and turn things around quickly to compete with an incredibly talented Western Conference. Hopefully, Anthony Davis can play, in which case, they should have a shot in stealing one on the road.

Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineup

PG: Damian Lillard
SG: C.J. McCollum
SF: Norman Powell
PF: Robert Covington
C: Jusuf Nurkic

Portland Trail Blazers Analysis

Portland was surely hoping for a different start to its season under new head coach, Chauncey Billups. Still, there is no way that the organization could have predicted that Damian Lillard would have such a slow start to the season. Despite his struggles, the Trail Blazers are still seventh in points per game, sixth in eFG% (effective field goal percentage) and offensive efficiency, and ninth in 3P% (three-point percentage). It is easy to think what this team could be if Lillard were able to turn it around. However, there are still issues on the defensive end, despite the coaching change during the off-season. Many thought Billups would instill a defensive mindset into this team, but right now, they rank in the bottom-five in both opponent eFG% and opponent 3P%. This team will have to get Lillard back on track and put up better defensive numbers; otherwise, they will be at risk of missing the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Daily Fantasy Picks

Norman Powell is an incredibly underrated player in the NBA and should be used in DFS lineups when the matchup makes sense. In this case, Powell and the Trail Blazers will be taking on the struggling Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and Trevor Ariza. There is also a possibility that the Lakers give Anthony Davis a game off since he is dealing with a lingering thumb injury. Since C.J. McCollum is the best scorer, at the moment, for the Blazers, Avery Bradley or Kent Bazemore will probably be assigned to him. I think Powell could be a sneaky play against the Lakers, especially since they have struggled all year in every aspect defensively. Powell should have a quiet 20 point night and tack on a few rebounds while he is at it.

The other DFS pick for this matchup is somewhat contingent on the injury report. There is a possibility that Anthony Davis will miss this game due to a sprained thumb he sustained against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Lakers’ awful home loss. If Davis does not play, Russell Westbrook will be a tremendous value for DFS. Westbrook averages 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game in the 2021-22 season, despite a slow start in his first three games of the season. In those three games, Westbrook merely averaged 12 points per game. Since then, he has put together a strong showing, and as history has shown us, the more usage Westbrook gets, the better stats he puts up. Westbrook is the play if Davis is scratched before the game.