Portland Trail Blazers look for redemption against Los Angeles Lakers in round three

The Portland Trail Blazers look to continue their hot start against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight will be their third meeting.

The Portland Trail Blazers have started off this season as one of the NBA’s hottest teams. They sit only one game behind the Warriors in the Western Conference going into tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. They are currently in the midst of a 4 game win streak. Their last loss: the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tonight the Blazers are not only looking to continue their win streak but avenge their November 3rd loss to Los Angeles.

The Lakers have been playing better as of late, opening up a three-game win streak themselves. Due to early season struggles, they are currently out of the playoff picture. And you better believe LeBron James and Co are going to want to ride this momentum and come ready to play in this one. Every game matters in the West. They would love to see their streak continue as much as the Blazers.

Whose win streak will continue after tonight?

For the Blazers, their main focus tonight has to be limiting LeBron. The Lakers offense starts and ends with LeBron. The whole system runs through him. If the Blazers can contain LeBron and force the young players to beat them, they will have a pretty good chance at coming out on top.

With that being said, the Blazers have to respect the Lakers young stars. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart can all catch fire and put points on the board in a hurry. Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo are excellent playmakers, pushing the ball and creating great shots for teammates.

The Lakers have depth outside of LeBron, so while he should be Portland’s main focus, he can’t be their sole focus.

Coming into tonight, the Lakers are one of the most efficient teams in the league with an effective field goal percentage of 53.9%. That puts them in the top four in efficiency in the league this year. The Blazers must play solid defense and force tough shots tonight to make it tough on this efficient Lakers squad.

The Blazers, while not quite as efficient, are the superior three-point shooting team tonight. If they take care of business on the defensive end the offense will take care of itself. With a dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum surrounded by good shooters like Nik Stauskas, Zach Collins, and Seth Curry and capable scorers like Evan Turner and Jusuf Nurkic, offense should never be a worry. That’s why tonight the main focus should be playing solid defense and making shots difficult for LeBron James and the young core surrounding him.

See if the Blazers can avenge their past loss tonight at 7:30 P.S.T.!