Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Blazers Prediction, 5/7/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Blazers

Date: Friday, May 7, 2021

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: NBC Sports Northwest

Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (+1.5)

Moda Center is the venue where and the Portland Blazers (37-29) will play the Los Angeles Lakers (37-28) on Friday. Portland opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 225.

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets and notched a win by a score of 93-89 in their last contest. Los Angeles ended with a 43.8% FG percentage (32 of 73) and converted 13 of their 30 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Lakers knocked down 16 of their 23 attempts for a percentage of 69.6%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they collected 43 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 18 dimes for this game in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In reference to defending, Los Angeles allowed their opponent to shoot 43.9% from the floor on 36 out of 82 shooting. Denver doled out 22 assists and had 10 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Denver totaled 41 boards (6 offensive, 35 defensive) and added 8 blocks. Denver walked away from this one shooting 68.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 11 of 16 attempts. They also buried 6 of 24 tries from three-point range.

Anthony Davis is one player who was a major contributor in this contest. He ended up walking away with 25 points on 9 out of 19 shooting. He saw the court for 33:06 mins and grabbed 7 boards. Davis ended up going 47.4% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. One more player that played a role in this matchup for the Lakers was Alex Caruso. He snagged 5 rebounds in 27:36 min on the hardwood. He finished the contest at 44.4% from the field in this game by shooting 4-of-9 (11 points). Overall, Caruso had accumulated 3 assists.

Los Angeles enters this matchup with a mark of 37-28 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.4 times per game and as a unit are committing 19.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Los Angeles is pulling down 44.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 1,597 dimes on the year, which ranks 20th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Lakers are connecting on 35.3% on three-point attempts (721 of 2,040) and 74.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 109.4 points per outing (23rd in the league) while hitting 47.3% from the field. On the defensive end, the Lakers are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.1 fouls. They are 11th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,602 surrendered so far this year. The Lakers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.8% (990 of 1,371) and they surrender 42.1 boards per game as a group. They give up 35.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 2nd in the NBA in PPG allowed (106.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the Portland Blazers went home victorious with a score of 141-105 when they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Blazers collected 43 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 54 for the game. They also coughed it up 10 times, while earning 7 steals in this game. The Cavaliers were called for 18 personal fouls for the game which took the Blazers to the charity stripe for 25 shots. They were able to convert 19 of them for a rate of 76.0%. Concerning shots from 3-point land, Portland knocked down 16 of 33 tries (48.5%). When the game finished, the Blazers finished the game shooting 53 out of 92 from the floor which gave them a rate of 57.6%. The Blazers allowed the Cavaliers to make 37 out of their 92 tries from the floor which left them shooting 40.2% in this contest. They finished shooting 34.2% from distance by hitting 13 of 38 and walked away from this one shooting 18 of 26 at the charity stripe (69.2%). In the matter of rebounding, Portland permitted Cleveland to get 42 in total (12 on the offensive glass).

Damian Lillard ended up having an impact for the Blazers for the matchup. He knocked down 10 out of 17 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 58.8%, and had 3 rebounds. Lillard had 32 points in his 31:19 mins of playing time and had 9 dimes for the contest. Another guy that was pivotal for Portland was Jusuf Nurkic. He finished with 3 assists in 20:36 minutes played, and he knocked down 6 out of 10 from the floor. Nurkic ended the game having shot 60.0% from the floor as well as earning 15 points and 11 total rebounds.

Portland has a win-loss record of 37-29 this year. As an offensive team, the Blazers are shooting 45.1% from the field, which ranks 24th in the NBA. Portland has scored 7,636 points for the campaign (115.7 per game) and they average 44.4 boards per game. They are getting an assist 21.1 times per game (30th in basketball) and they are turning it over 11.2 times per game. The Blazers are committing 19.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 82.5% from the free throw line. The Blazers on the defensive side of the court are 23rd in the league in PPG given up with 114.7. They allow 25.3 dimes and 45.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 18th and 21st in the NBA. The Portland defense allows 37.3% on shots from behind the 3-point line (852 of 2,287) and their opponents are converting on 78.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.6% from the field (27th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Los Angeles (+1.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here