Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Pick – NBA, August 20, 2020

The Portland Trail Blazers continue to surprise the basketball world. They entered the bubble 3.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and still managed to clinch the playoff berth.

Back on Tuesday, the Trail Blazers upset the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers 100-93 as 6-point dogs in the opening game of their Western Conference first-round series. Damian Lillard had another wonderful night, and the Trail Blazers battled bravely for all 48 minutes.

Game 2 is set for Thursday, August 18, with the tip-off at 9:00 PM ET, so let’s take a closer look and find the best Trail Blazers vs. Lakers betting pick.

The bookies obviously think the Lakers will bounce back, setting the Trail Blazers as 6-point underdogs once again. The opener went way in the under of a 234-point total, so this time, we have a 229-point line on Bovada sportsbook.

The Trail Blazers are not known for tough defensive work, but they limited the Lakers on 35.1% shooting from the field and 15.6% from downtown in Game 1.

You can check out the best NBA betting sites and find the odds and alternative lines that will help you make the best wagers. Using these alternative lines can save you a lot of money.

Damian Lillard dominated the Lakers in the opener, accounting for 34 points, five boards, five assists, and only three turnovers. He shot 6-for-13 from beyond the arc and made a couple of ridiculous 3-pointers.

The Lakers need to press Lillard more, but first of all, they have to shoot the ball much better than they did Tuesday. LeBron James had an epic game, posting a triple-double of 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 16 assists. Anthony Davis added 28 points and 11 boards, but that was all from the Lakers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 0-for-9; Kyle Kuzma was 5-for-14 from the field, while Danny Green went 4-for-12. Furthermore, the Lakers missed 11 free-throw attempts, so it’s no strange they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.

Anyway, that didn’t help at all, as well as 11 steals. The Lakers scored 22 points in the paint more than the Trail Blazers (50-28) and still lost the game.

The Lakers played solid defense in the opener despite Lillard’s 34 points. They just have to do a much better job offensively, while the Lakers’ role players have to make open shots.

I’m looking for a much better performance by LeBron and his teammates, so give me the Lakers to cover a 4-point spread. As I’ve mentioned, buying a few points is always helpful, while the odds are still acceptable.