The Lakers (24-15) will travel to Portland this weekend, where they will take on the Blazers (20-22). This is the third and final meeting between the two teams.
Start time and TV schedule
Watch: NBA TV, Spectrum Sportsnet
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 matchup 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.