NBA Play of the Day for December 6th, 2019

by Raju Byfield |
Dec 06, 2019

The Los Angeles Lakers versus the Portland Trailblazers is a contest with enough star power to get even the casual NBA fan excited. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both be starting in the All-Star Game this year, and they will be joined by the Blazersâ€™ top star Damian Lillard. Carmelo Anthony is a 10-time former All-Star, and C.J. McCollum has played at a high enough level that he would have likely made multiple All-Star Game appearances if he played in the Eastern Conference instead of the loaded Western Conference. While the Clippers versus the Bucks will earn the game of the night label, this contest may prove to be the most exciting. Letâ€™s dig in.

Claim your FREE bet up to $500 at FanDuel Sportsbook >>

Details

Opening Lines: The consensus point spread for this contest opened at -3.5 on the Los Angeles Lakers. The consensus over/under total opened at 221.5 points. The point spread has held steady at some books, but the consensus point spread has moved -4.5. The over/under total has seen a dramatic increase to 225.
Current Line: Los Angeles -4.5
O/U: 225
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Start Time: 10:30 PM EST, Friday, December 6th
Last Meeting: Portland defeated Los Angeles 129-102 â€“ April 9, 2019

Overview

The 17-3 Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best teams in the league this season. LeBron James and the Lakers have received a serious boost in talent with Anthony Davis and Danny Green, and they are one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship this season. They have won 13 of their last 14 games and show no signs of slowing down. Kawhi Leonardâ€™s load management will very likely indirectly lead to the Lakers claiming the top seed in the West heading into the playoffs, but when we factor in the fact that the two top teams in the West play in the same building, it may not matter much when it comes to the expected Western Conference Finals matchup. The Lakers will look to continue their tremendous start to the season with a win over a disappointing Portland Trailblazers team.

The 9-13 Portland Trailblazers were playing so poorly that they decided to rescue Carmelo Anthony from the scrapheap in the hopes that he could do the same for them. The initial results have been promising, as Melo has a controversial Western Conference Player of the Week to his name, and the Blazers finally find themselves moving back into the playoff picture in what has become a very weak bottom of the West. They currently sit in ninth place and have won four of their last five contests. Portland has some more digging to do to get out of the hole they put themselves in, but with eighth place Phoenix faltering, it should only be a matter of time. The Blazers will be looking to secure their marquee win of the season with a win over the first-place Los Angeles Lakers.

Trends

Los Angeles is 13-9 ATS on the season.
Los Angeles is 6-5 ATS on the road this season.
Portland is 10-11 ATS on the season.
Portland is 3-4 ATS at home this season.
Los Angeles is 5-5 ATS in their last 10 contests.
Los Angeles is 6-2 ATS in their last eight Friday contests.
Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in their last seven contests as a favorite.
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in their last five contests following a win ATS.
Portland is 5-5 ATS in their last 10 contests.
Portland is 7-2-2 ATS in their last 11 contests as a home underdog.
Portland is 1-5 ATS in their last six Friday contests.
Portland is 0-2-2 ATS in their last four home contests against teams with winning road records.
Under is 6-1 in Los Angelesâ€™ last seven contests.
Under is 5-0 in Los Angelesâ€™ last five contests as a favorite.
Under is 5-1 in Los Angelesâ€™ last six contests following a straight-up win.
Under is 5-0 in Los Angelesâ€™ last five contests played on one day of rest.
Over is 4-0 in Portlandâ€™s last four contests against teams with winning records.
Over is 4-1 in Portlandâ€™s last five contests as a home underdog.
Over is 8-3 in Portlandâ€™s last 11 home contests against teams with winning road records.

Prop Bets

Third-quarter away team total over 27.5 points (-118)
The Los Angeles Lakers sometimes have slow starts to their contests, but like most championship-caliber teams, they step up their play in the third and fourth quarters. Of course, taking a fourth-quarter line before the game as opposed to as a live bet during the game is not recommended, as a blowout can result in you essentially burning your money. It comes as no surprise that the juice for this prop is currently on the over (under sits at -108). With no player props with a high enough win probability to be worth suggesting, we dug deeper to find a stand-out prop. The Lakers have averaged 28.8 points per third quarter this season, a number that actually jumps to 29.7 on the road due to contests being slightly more competitive away from the Staples Center. Their average scoring margin in the third is +2.0, while the Blazers sit at -1.1. We shied away from the first-half line due to the Lakersâ€™ sometimes frustrating lack of a killer instinct before the half. As a result, the third-quarter team total over is the one-unit play.

Bottom Line

The Los Angeles Lakers get the benefit of a road line here, and they opened at a smaller than expected consensus point spread of -3.5. The Clippers just hammered the Blazers by 20 points, and while this game will be played in Portland as opposed to Los Angeles, the Lakers winning by double-digits cannot be ruled out. Los Angeles is an outstanding 17-3 on the season. Their only losses have come to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Toronto Raptors, and the Dallas Mavericks. This will be the first meeting between these two teams this season, but there is zero doubt as to which side is the better team. There is also little doubt as to which team will win this contest. This line did see some overnight movement, making the -3.5 now sit at -4.5. The sharp money has also come in on the Lakers for this contest, so we could see further movement before game time. As usual, line shopping via our live odds page is a must. With this contest still sitting at -3.5 at FanDuel and BetMGM, there is no doubt where to place our action. Lock this one in at -120 at FanDuel before the spread rises even higher.

Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -3.5 (-120)