Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers
Friday, November 6, 2026
10:00 PM ET, crypto.com Arena
The Los Angeles Lakers are 2.5-point favorites over the Portland Trail Blazers with a total of 231.5 in the market. My play is Trail Blazers +2.5.
Ten days ago Portland walked into this building and left with a 136-129 win. Since then the Blazers have kept winning on the road — Utah, Denver, Phoenix — and they sit at 6-1 with a net rating that still tops Los Angeles. The Lakers are 7-2 and have Luka Doncic cooking at 38.5 a night. Somehow the market still makes Portland a dog. I’ll take the points in a Cup rematch.
The road machine does not need Ja tonight.
Morant is out with the hamstring. Shaedon Sharpe is months away. Vit Krejci just fractured his ankle/leg in Phoenix. None of that stopped Deni Avdija (23.4 points, 6.4 assists) from running the show or Donovan Clingan from owning the glass. Portland’s offense ranks at the top of the league in points per 100, and the defense sits comfortably inside the top half. Micah Nori’s group is 5-0 away from Moda Center. That is not a fluke sample anymore.
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Luka will get his. The cushion still matters.
Doncic and Austin Reaves are healthy. Walker Kessler is available with the finger splint. Sandro Mamukelashvili is questionable with an illness, and Adou Thiero is finally off the report for a possible debut. JJ Redick’s club just handled Sacramento by 13 and still owns a top-two offense. The problem is the other end: Los Angeles ranks closer to average on defense, and Portland already proved it can hang 136 here.
Both teams played Wednesday, so rest is even. The wrinkle is Portland hosting San Antonio on Saturday — late-game minutes could get careful if the Cup game is decided. That is a real risk against a home favorite with revenge on its mind after the Golden State Cup loss.
The case against me. Doncic can erase +2.5 by himself in a three-minute stretch. Crypto.com Arena will be loud for a Friday Cup tip. If the Lakers’ zone looks or Thiero’s energy changes the second unit, the number gets uncomfortable.
Even with that, I would rather back the better road net rating at plus money on the spread than lay a short price on a Lakers defense that Portland has already cracked.
Projected score: Trail Blazers 118, Lakers 116.
The Pick: Trail Blazers +2.5
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