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NBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers Round 1 series preview
By Daniel Canova
Published August 17, 2020
The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will have their work cut out for them when they square off against the sizzling hot Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers will be led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Since the start of the NBA restart in the bubble in Orlando, Fla., the Lakers went 3-5 with victories over the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets.
Davis finished the regular season averaging a team-high 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals, and James added 25.3 points, a career-best 10.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game. Both players will need to continue to carry the load for the Lakers if they want to make a deep playoff run.
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, have been on fire since their season restarted on July 31. In the remaining eight regular-season games, Portland finished with a 6-2 record, and clinched the No. 8 seed. The Blazers faced the Memphis Grizzlies in a play-in game, and came away with a 126-122 victory, their fourth-consecutive win.
Damian Lillard was unanimously voted the bubble MVP after he averaged 37.6 points over the course of the eight games. He finished with 51 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Aug. 9, and two days later rolled to 61 points in a win over the Dallas Mavericks, before settling for 41 against the Brooklyn Nets in their regular-season finale. In the play-in matchup, Lillard had 31 points, and backcourt mate CJ McCollum contributed 29 in the win.
Next, Lillard and McCollum will lead the Blazers against James, Davis, and the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
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Here’s what you need to know about the series.
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SCHEDULE
Game 1: Aug. 18
Time: 9:00 pm EDT
TV: TNT
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Game 2: Aug. 20
Time: 9:00 pm EDT
TV: ESPN
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Game 3: Aug. 22
Time: 8:30 pm EDT
TV: ABC
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Game 4: Aug. 24
Time: 9:00 pm EDT
TV: TNT
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Game 5: Aug. 26 (if necessary)
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
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Game 6: Aug. 28 (if necessary)
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
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Game 7: Aug. 30 (if necessary)
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nba-playoffs-2020-lakers-trail-blazers-preview