It’s Thursday, January 2, and the Portland Trail Blazers (11-21) and Los Angeles Lakers (18-14) are all set to square off from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Blazers have lost 7 straight on the road. Their last game was way back in 2024 on December 30. They lost at home that evening to the Philadelphia 76ers. Anfernee Simons scored 25 in the loss including 12 from deep. LA’s modest 2-game winning streak was snapped on New Year’s Eve as Cleveland knocked off LeBron and co. 122-110. Austin Reaves had 35 in the loss.
The Trail Blazers are currently 3-13 on the road with a point differential of -9, while the Lakers have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details for Trail Blazers at Lakers today
- Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
- Time: 1030 pm EST
- Site: Crypto.com Arena
- City: Los Angeles, CA
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Game odds for Trail Blazers at Lakers
The latest odds as of Thursday:
- Odds: Portland Trail Blazers (+313), LA Lakers (-402)
- Spread: Lakers -9
- Over/Under: 224.5 points
That gives the Trail Blazers an implied team point total of 111.16, and the Lakers 115.85.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Trail Blazers at Lakers game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) likes Austin Reaves to have a night in front of the home crowd: Austin Reaves over 19.5 points (-105)
“Hello Austin Reaves! He’s been sensational in this past three-game stretch. He’s scored at least 20 points in all three and he’s been on the attack most of the game. He gets his best matchup of the season against the Trailblazers who give up the most points to the SG position. I like him to fill it up in a big way.”
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Trail Blazers and Lakers’ game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Los Angeles Lakers on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Portland Trail Blazers at +9.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the UNDER on the Game Total of 224.5.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Trail Blazers vs. Lakers on Thursday
· The Lakers have won 4 straight home games against the Trail Blazers
· The Lakers’ last 3 home games have gone OVER the Total
· The Lakers are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games as a favorite
· The Lakers have won their last 5 matchups against Western Conference teams
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
– Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
– Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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