Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers 10/23/22 - NBA Picks & Predictions

The Sunday NBA schedule will get underway with a matinee between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers from Crypto.com Arena. The Trail Blazers (2-0) finished second worst in defensive efficiency a season ago and have a healthy Damian Lillard running the show. On Friday, Portland limited visiting Phoenix to nine points during the overtime period of a 113-111 victory.

Portland G Damian Lillard converted all 12 free-throw attempts and finished with a game-high 41 points. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

The Los Angeles Lakers have dropped consecutive games to start the season and continue to be plagued by their outside shooting woes. On Thursday, Los Angeles managed just 41 points during the second half of a 103-97 home loss versus LA. The Lakers (0-2) missed 36 of their 45 three-point attempts and shot just 35 percent overall.

Los Angeles G Lonnie Walker IV led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-21 from the field. Anthony Davis added 25 points and LeBron James chipped in 20 points for the Lakers.