LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction & Match Preview - February 9th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22

The visiting LA Lakers will take on the revamped Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. [Photo: Blazer's Edge]

The LA Lakers will take to the road with a game against the new-look Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at Moda Center in Oregon. LeBron James and company hold a 2-1 series lead against the Blazers and will look to pick up a third win this season. In the last encounter between the two teams earlier this month, the Lakers ran away 99-94 winners.

Despite the presence of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the LA Lakers stood no chance against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers were completely outclassed and couldn’t stop the Bucks from doing whatever they wanted as the latter cruised to a 116-131. A game against the Portland Trail Blazers could remove the nightmare of the Bucks’ unforgiving domination.

Rip City grabbed the headlines before the trade deadline with the biggest trade of the season yet. Long-time Blazers CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell have been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in one of the most surprising moves this campaign so far.

Blazers Legend @CJMcCollum https://t.co/ElvTng0MeW

The Portland Trail Blazers have Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada. Draft considerations for the trade include a 2022 first-round pick and two future second-round picks. Portland will almost certainly look like an entirely new team when they take on the Purple and Gold.

Match Details

Fixture: LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers | 2021-22 NBA season

Date & Time: Wednesday, February 9th; 10:00 PM ET (Thursday; February 10th; 8:30 AM IST)

Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR

LA Lakers Preview

Except for a few stretches, the LA Lakers offered no resistance against the Milwaukee Bucks. [Photo: Silver Screen and Roll]

The LA Lakers are almost out of excuses against the elite teams in the NBA. While they’ve managed to generally beat teams they are supposed to beat, their biggest flaws and deficiencies are exposed against top sides.

For the second straight game, the LA Lakers could not stop anyone from the opposing team. Before the loss to the Bucks, they gave up 42 points in the first quarter against the New York Knicks. They forced overtime in that game, eventually going on to win. The Lakers had no such luck or capacity against Milwaukee as their defensive frailties continue to be a major issue for them.

After an embarrassing loss, the LA Lakers should have no trouble finding the motivation and drive to beat the barely recognizable Portland Trail Blazers.

Key Player - LeBron James

Playing in only his second game following a five-game absence due to knee swelling, LeBron James looked gassed at times against the Bucks. He still finished with 27 points, five rebounds and eight assists but had a game-low -25 net rating. Milwaukee smoked Los Angeles by 25 points during the four-time MVP's 35 minutes on the floor.

LeBron James talks about the difficulty of building on-court camaraderie with so many players in and out of the #Lakers lineups. https://t.co/MJaLF0zYLh

Although LeBron James and the LA Lakers will be playing their second game of a of back-to-back, they will be squaring off against a team with perhaps even less chemistry than them. The Blazers have had a tough time against LeBron James this season and will likely continue to struggle with a makeshift roster in this encounter.

LA Lakers Predicted Lineup

G - Russell Westbrook | G - Malik Monk | F - Trevor Ariza | F - LeBron James | C - Anthony Davis

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Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are on a six-game losing streak and have lost eight of their last 10. The team has struggled on both sides of the ball and were seemingly directionless this season with big decisions to make later. The front office decided to make wholesale changes for financial flexibility and rebuilding purposes.

It’s unclear how head coach Chauncey Billups will proceed with the lineup he has. In exchange for McCollum and company, they look like a scrappier and grittier unit than what they previously had. Anfernee Simons and bruising big man Jusuf Nurkic will be tasked with carrying the team while the roster is still in flux.

Key Player - Anfernee Simons

With CJ McCollum gone and Damian Lillard sidelined with injury, the Portland Trail Blazers are handing the keys to the offense to the 22-year-old combo guard. Simons emerged this season after injuries to the Blazers’ veteran backcourt forced Billups to play him more minutes The four-year player responded by having a career year.

This is now Anfernee Simons’ team.

Well, until Damian Lillard returns.

Simons is averaging 15.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and .5 steals per contest. Without his more established teammates, Billups is giving the budding star the runway he needs to fully blossom. The Portland Trail Blazers' trade move could also mean they are preparing to give the emerging guard a new deal.

Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup

G - Anfernee Simons | G - Josh Hart | F - Ben McLemore | F - Justise Winslow | C - Jusuf Nurkic

Lakers vs Blazers Match Prediction

Los Angeles fans will certainly begin to think "enough is enough," if LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook can’t get a win over the newly-formed and reeling Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers have hardly had the chance to practice with all the new players coming on board. They face a determined Lakers team that will be hell-bent on a win following an embarrassing defeat of their own.

The Blazers could see their losing slump extend to seven straight games.

Where to watch the Lakers vs Blazers game

NBA League Pass will stream the game between the LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers live. Local coverage of the matchup is available via ROOT-SP and Spectrum SportsNet.

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