“‘Kobe Bryant Day” is 8/24 in the sports community. It was a day in 2020 that saw the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 135-115, in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series. The Lakers covered the 7.5-point spread and the final score went over the 224.5 O/U. L.A. leads the series 3-1 and will be looking to close out their first-round opponents in Game 5.
Game 5 is set to tip-off Wednesday, at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. Blazers’ Damian Lillard is listed as out in the must-win game. Check out our NBA sportsbook to place a bet on this game and other NBA Playoff games
The spread is +13.5 in Game 5
The over/under is 222
Game 4 Breakdown
LeBron James continued his playoff dominance of the Blazers with 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 28 minutes before heading to the bench late in the third quarter. The blow-out win took a backseat to Kobe Bryant Day and the score of 24-8 (the numbers Kobe wore during his NBA career) late in the first quarter. The Lakers got out to a 15-0 lead. They led 43-25 at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers dominated the first half, 80-51, shooting well over 60% from the field and better than 50% from “3.”
You can see how locked in James was when you watch this video of LeBron hitting a three from practically the NBA logo.
Anthony Davis had 18 points in 18 minutes before leaving the game midway through the third with back spasms. The MVP of the seeding games, Lillard, had 11 points before leaving with a right knee injury in the third. Jusuf Nurkic had a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Blazers.
Blazers’ coach Terry Stotts described his team’s position as, “not good,” when asked about it after Game 4. The Blazers have a steep uphill battle.
Matchup Stats
Check out a previous article on the Lakers vs Blazers Game 4 betting preview to find a full break-down of the first three games. You can also see we predicted the Lakers to cover in this article. You can find more NBA Playoff articles at our Locker Room page.
No Chance Without Lillard
The Blazers were already depleted. That was before they lost their best player to a knee sprain in Game 4. Lillard will not play in Game 5. Without Lillard, they do not seem to have a chance to compete with the Lakers for 48 minutes. Lillard has averaged 30 points and 8 assists through the first four games. He has averaged this though he left early with an injury in the previous two games. The Blazers will have to lean heavily on C.J McCollum, Nurkic and Carmelo Anthony to try and replace Lillard’s’ production.
Lakers Cover
LeBron and the Lakers will dominatefrom start to finish. It should be an easy win that will see the starters on the bench for most of the fourth quarter.
The series saw three unders happen until a Game 4 explosion by the Lakers’ offense. Expect the Lakers to return to their average shooting offensively. Also, expect the Blazers to struggle on the offensive end of the floor without Lillard.
- Take the Under 222
- Take Lakers -13.5
