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Trail Blazers at Lakers: Portland's 6-1 Start Meets 7-2 Lakers in Friday Rematch
Two of the West's hottest starts meet at crypto.com Arena, with Luka Doncic carrying the Lakers' biggest number against a Blazers team that has lost once.
Friday night at crypto.com Arena brings a rematch between two teams with a combined 13-3 record. Portland arrives at 6-1, the Lakers sit at 7-2, and the winner leaves with an early claim on one of the better starts in the conference. Tip-off is 10:00 PM ET on Prime Video, Spectrum Sports Net and Spectrum Sports Net +.
The Lakers come in with roster chatter around them. Heavy.com reports a major update on Sandro Mamukelashvili ahead of the Blazers rematch, and the same outlet reports that three high-value centers have emerged as top trade targets. Lake Show Life argues that Jarred Vanderbilt has already made the decision not to trade him look wise. Lakers Daily reports that Luka Doncic's manager explained how the Lakers coach earned a spot in his inner circle.
Doncic is the center of the matchup, and his points line of 35.5 is the highest on the board by a wide margin. Austin Reaves is set at 21.5. On the other side of the prop list, Deni Avdija carries a 23.5 line and Damian Lillard sits at 20.5, while Jrue Holiday is at 13.5. Toumani Camara, Walker Kessler and Scoot Henderson are each set at 11.5. The question is whether anyone can slow Doncic enough to keep Portland's balance in play, or whether the Lakers' top-end scoring decides it.
The market leans toward the home team without much margin. The Lakers are 3.5-point favorites, and the total is set at 231.5, a number that expects both offenses to keep the pace up. For a pair of teams that have combined for three losses, a single possession could separate them late.
