Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers Prediction & Match Preview - August 29th, 2020 | Game 5
Match Details
Fixture: Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers
Date & Time: Saturday, August 29th, 9 PM ET (Sunday, 6:30 AM IST)
Venue: AdventHealth Arena, Orlando, FL
The LA Lakers have steadily grown into this series against the Portland Trail Blazers and have already inflicted two huge blowout losses on the latter. Frank Vogel's men will be looking to continue their rediscovered rhythm on both ends of the court to deliver the knockout punch in Game 5.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
After exerting their offensive firepower in the first quarter of the series opener, the Portland Trail Blazers gave found points hard to come by throughout this series. Damian Lillard is nowhere close to his bubble MVP self from the seeding games and has been ruled out for this tie due to an ankle injury.
Jusuf Nurkic has been on and off but he's the only Portland big who's managed to have somewhat of an impact against the LA Lakers. CJ McCollum hasn't been his usual self from downtown while the contribution from the bench remains a huge issue for the Portland Trail Blazers. They really have their task cut out for Game 5.
Key Player - CJ McCollum
CJ McCollum has barely provided the scoring boost to the Portland Trail Blazers in this series that he would've loved. Except for his 28-point outing in Game 3 where his side eventually lost to the LA Lakers, McCollum hasn't been raking in enough points. He's playing with a back injury but he could have to shoulder the weight of the entire Portland team in Game 5 if Lillard sits out.
Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
Anfernee Simons, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside, Jusuf Nurkic
LA Lakers Preview
It's a case of more of the same as far as the LA Lakers are confirmed. They've shrugged off their scoring woes and the fact that they shot over 56% from the field in Game 4 is indicative of that. LeBron James has led the line yet again but the rest of the unit has chipped in as well.
Anthony Davis played limited minutes on Monday as a precautionary measure but he's likely to feature against the Portland Trail Blazers in what could potentially be the final tie of this series. The backcourt has finally found the spring in their steps with Danny Green being the latest player to score at a high clip. All things considered, the LA Lakers are in a comfortable spot entering Game 5.
Key Player - LeBron James
Any night LeBron James scores at over 80% from the field, the LA Lakers will be fine. That's exactly what happened in the previous outing and Frank Vogel's men were the runaway winners. This is the most ruthless that LeBron James has been all season and he'll be looking to punish the Portland Trail Blazers again on Wednesday to wrap up the series.
Trail Blazers vs Lakers Match Prediction
All things on paper suggest an easy LA Lakers win in this tie. The Portland Trail Blazers are in a disarray offensively, Damian Lillard is out, and their bench isn't performing well. For the Purple and Gold though, they've overcome their difficulties from the seeding games and look like the side to beat in the postseason. So expect them to win Game 5 and send Terry Stotts' side packing.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs Lakers?
Your go-to options for local broadcast are NBC Sports Northwest and Spectrum SportsNet while TNT will be carrying the game on national TV. Fans in India can catch the tie on Sony Six. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
Also read: OKC Thunder vs Houston Rockets Prediction & Match Preview - August 29th, 2020 | Game 5