The Lakers (24-15) will travel to Portland this weekend, where they will take on the Blazers (20-22). This is the third meeting and final meeting between the two teams.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland
Trail Blazers
When: 7 p.m. PT, Jan. 17
Where: Moda Center
Watch: NBA TV, Spectrum Sportsnet
Just when the Lakers put together one of their best performances of the season in a win against the Atlanta Hawks, they followed it up with an ugly loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Their defense was once again exposed, reminding everyone how inconsistent this team has been all season.
With exactly 39 games in the books, it’s now fair to conclude that LA’s defense is bad. Los Angeles has way too many one-way players who are unequipped on the defensive side of the ball.
While likely only a trade can significantly upgrade the Lakers’ defense, which now ranks 26th in the NBA, no such deal will happen in time for this upcoming match against the Blazers.
So, the question is, who will step up and bring the physicality and energy on defense? Can Marcus Smart do it? Will Jake LaRavia have a big game? Or will everything fall on LeBron James with Luka Dončić out and other key Lakers listed as questionable?
Entering this contest, the Blazers have won seven of their last 10 games.
They’ve defeated the Houston Rockets twice in the last two weeks, as well as the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. They’re also very unpredictable to gauge because a few of their players, like Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant, are listed as either doubtful or questionable on their injury report.
Hopefully, the Lakers team that shows up on Saturday is the one that plays very well on the road (13-7). The one that plays like they’re tired of their inconsistent ways and the one that’s aggressive and controls the pace from start to finish.
They’ve done it in the past, so there’s no excuse for them not to do so on Saturday.
Notes and Updates
- The Lakers are now 5-8 in their last 13 games, their worst stretch of the season so far.
- Some additional info on the Blazers: They rank 29th in the league in 3-point shooting, so don’t expect them to convert lots of 3-pointers unless, of course, they’re having an outlier type of night, which is possible given the Lakers’ perimeter defense.
- As for the injury report, the Lakers list DeAndre Ayton (left knee soreness) and Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) as questionable.
- Luka Dončić (left groin soreness), Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are out.
- The Blazers have Deni Avdija (lower back strain) listed as doubtful. Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear), Damian Lillard (Achilles recovery), Kris Murray (lumbar strain), Matisse Thybulle (right knee tendinopathy) and Blake Wesley (right foot fracture) are out.
- Jerami Grant (Achilles injury) and Jrue Holiday (right calf injury) are questionable.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
