NBA odds favor Los Angeles on Sunday as they host the Portland Trail Blazers in a game that can be seen on ABC. The Lakers have already wrapped up the top seed in the Western Conference so it will be interesting to see how much effort they put into this game. The Lakers are still very highly regarded at home in basketball odds so they are the favorite in this game.
NBA odds may actually point to Portland in this game. The Lakers have no reason to play their starters for the entire game. The Blazers have actually split the last ten games with the Lakers and they are 7-3 against the basketball odds. Portland is fighting for the #6 seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers could still end up 6th, 7th or 8th and they don’t want to finish 8th as they would have to play the Lakers in the first round. The Blazers and Lakers have split their two meetings this season, both in Portland. The Blazers won 107-98 while the Lakers won 99-82. Three of the last four in this series have gone over the total in basketball odds.
Portland has been a very solid team on the road this season vs. the NBA odds. The Blazers are 24-15-1 on the road this season vs. the point spread. Portland has played very well recently. They have played themselves into position to get that #6 seed. The Blazers have some players who can score led by Brandon Roy. LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Miller can also provide support. Portland has been going over the total far more on the road than at home so this could be a high scoring game in NBA odds on Sunday.
The Lakers have not been a good team at home vs. the point spread. But then again, the Lakers have not been good vs. the NBA odds anywhere. The Lakers are almost always overvalued so they not only have to win the game but they have to cover the bigger number. It has not been happening this season. The Lakers have slipped to 9th in the league on offense and 9th on defense but those are still solid numbers. The question for Los Angeles will be whether or not they can turn things on once the playoffs begin. It may not be that easy.