Injury Updates, Lineup and Predictions
BY:@ECHO22 đ
The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from entering the second round of the playoffs. Tonight, they face the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5, and currently lead 3-1. In the previous game, the Blazers never stood a chance and ended up getting blown out by 20 points.
Damian Lillard will be the biggest miss for the Blazers tonight. After suffering from a right knee sprain in the previous game, he is scheduled to miss tonightâs game. Without Lillard, the Blazers offense will be toothless. After losing out Zach Collins last week, this is certainly the biggest loss Blazers fans could have imagined.
The expected lineup for the Blazers would be CJ McCollum and Gary Trent Jr as the guards, Carmelo Anthony as the sole forward and Hassan Whiteside, and Jusuf Nurkic as the two big men.
Will this be an easy win for the Los Angeles Lakers?
Rajon Rondo has been confirmed to miss the game due to back spasms. LeBron James (groin), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee) and Anthony Davis (back) on the probable list. But despite these concerns, the trio is likely to feature again.
So the Lakers should have an unchanged lineup with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green as the guards, LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the forwards and JaVale McGee as the center.
The Lakers were dominant in the win last time. This was despite Davis playing just 18 minutes and James playing only 28 minutes. At one point, the Lakers led by 38, which showed how superior they were compared to the Blazers.
The Blazers have played eight games this season without Lillard. They have won only two of them. Despite the quality in the roster, they have been heavily reliant on him. McCollum has stepped up big time in those games. He has averaged 31 points per game while shooting 42% from three in those games. But it hasnât been enough. So the Blazers might have their work cut out.
So without Lillard, it could be a mismatch. The Lakers should be comfortably winning this. If they win tonight, in the next round, they will face the winner of the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
____@ECHO22______
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