HOME TEAM: #8 Portland Trail Blazers (1-1)

The Blazers’ five-game winning streak in the bubble was halted after Wednesday’s series-tying, 111-88 loss. It was a season-low in total output and they were down by 33 points at one point.

Damian Lillard only scored 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting (1/7 from three) and also had four turnovers. It’s a rare dud from the All-Star so we can expect a more productive line tomorrow. We should be able to see him take a more aggressive approach in attacking the defense.

The rest weren’t any better, especially Lillard’s co-starters. He, along with CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Carmelo Anthony all had a plus-minus of -26 or worse, and they collectively went 3-for-16 from beyond the arc.

Forward Zach Collins is out for the season due to an ankle injury. Wenyen Gabriel has been taking his spot, and will also look to have a better showing. On Wednesday, he had seven points and five rebounds and fouled out in only 21 minutes of play.

ROAD TEAM: #1 Los Angeles Lakers (1-1)

The Lakers looked really terrible after Game 1’s ugly loss, but they’ve washed off some of its stink following the dominating Game 2 win. They went 13-for-38 from three after going an appalling 5-for-32 in the series opener. It’s a great turnaround and will play into their trust for the outside shot.

There were plenty of solid performances on the Lake Show’s side. Anthony Davis led the way as always, with 31 points and 11 boards on 61.9% shooting (13/21), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had one of his best games in a while with 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three, and even J.R. Smith showed up as he chipped in 11 points and three three-pointers.

Maybe the most encouraging part of Wednesday’s victory, though, was LeBron James’s quiet night. They were still able to jump into a sizable lead despite James only scoring 10 points and having six turnovers.

PREDICTIONS:

The Lakers’ response was good and all, but it’s still a long series, and keep in mind that they are yet to win back-to-back games in the bubble – all were followed up by double-digit losses. That should ‘cause for at least some doubt.

I expect a better showing from the stars on each side, Lillard and James. Davis, meanwhile, is a question mark again as he’s been up-and-down in the bubble.

The Blazers regain the series lead with a 118-115 win.