Pretty much nothing bodes well for the Portland Trail Blazers when the travel to Los Angeles on Tuesday night to face the Lakers, who are 15.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.
Let me count the ways:
*-Portland’s best player, All-Star guard Brandon Roy didn’t accompany the team to Los Angeles. He won’t play tonight against the Lakers or Wednesday against the Clippers because of a right ankle sprain that was aggravated Sunday.
The 6-foot-6 Roy, who is averaging a team-best 19.3 points to go with 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, is reportedly aiming to return for Portland's rematch with the Lakers at home Friday.
Thus Portland coach Nate McMillan will juggle his starting lineup tonight, with Steve Blake starting at point guard, Martell Webster at shooting guard, Travis Outlaw at small forward, LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward and Joel Przybilla at center.
McMillan previously moved Jarrett Jack into Roy’s starting shooting guard position when Roy missed two games earlier this month in order to preserve the rotation.
But his he is using a bigger lineup by starting Webster at shooting guard and Outlaw at small forward. That move would give Webster his first start at shooting guard this year, and Outlaw” an important contributor in the reserve unit “his first start overall.”It’s coming at a bad time,” McMillan admitted. “It’s the hand that we’re dealt and it’s an opportunity for some other guys. We’ve got to grow up fast. It’s a huge challenge.”
*-Kobe Bryant will be fired up. Kobe was ejected from a game for the first time this season Sunday. He had 21 points and 10 assists in just 26 minutes before he was tossed in the third quarter at Seattle for arguing with official Brian Forte about a no-call.
"I'm disappointed, but I'm not going to comment on the official. I don't want to get fined anymore," Bryant said. "Watch the replay."
And Kobe usually torches the Blazers. He is averaging 38.0 points in his last 10 games against Portland.
And while the Blazers won their first two games against the Lakers last season, they lost the last meeting as Bryant scored an NBA season-high 65 points in the Lakers' 116-111 overtime victory. Bryant's 65 points were also the most ever scored against the Blazers.
*-L.A. is the hottest team in the NBA outside of Houston right now, on an eight-game winning streak. The Lakers have claimed the best record in the Western Conference with their longest win streak since taking 11 straight near the end of the 2003-04 season – the last time they reached the NBA Finals.
"Now we are in a situation where we can control our own destiny and that's important," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
*-Portland has lost seven of eight games to fall to 10th place in the West. And it is 8-19 on the road and has lost four of its past five in L.A. Best bet:
All those stats spell an L.A. cover.
| ATS | Portland | Los Angeles |
| Record: | 29-27-0 (.518) | 39-17-0 (.696) |
| As Favorite: | 16-7-0 (.696) | 29-6-0 (.829) |
| As Underdog: | 13-20-0 (.394) | 10-11-0 (.476) |
| At Home: | 21-8-0 (.724) | 18-7-0 (.720) |
| On Road: | 8-19-0 (.296) | 21-10-0 (.677) |
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