{"id":32873,"date":"2020-08-18T07:27:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T11:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=32873"},"modified":"2020-08-18T07:27:53","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T11:27:53","slug":"los-angeles-lakers-vs-portland-trail-blazers-nba-playoffs-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2020\/08\/18\/los-angeles-lakers-vs-portland-trail-blazers-nba-playoffs-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Playoffs Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/los-angeles-lakers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> are in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2013, while the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/portland-trail-blazers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> will be making their seventh-straight NBA playoff appearance. This will be the 12<sup>th<\/sup> NBA playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>NBA Playoffs Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Frontcourt <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>Los Angeles Lakers&#8217; Dominant Forwards<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Los Angeles Lakers have a distinct advantage over the Trail Blazers. This is especially true for the forward position. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a><\/strong> is averaging 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a><\/strong> is averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.2 steals.<\/p>\n<p>The Trail Blazers also have some good forwards with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anthoca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carmelo Anthony<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/colliza01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Collins<\/a><\/strong>. In the 2019-20 NBA season, Anthony is averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Collins is averaging 7.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Unfortunately, Collins will be out for Game 1 which would mean <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/whiteha01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hassan Whiteside<\/a><\/strong> could be inserted. However, by doing that the Trail Blazers lose their advantage in the bench.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Before their series with the Lakers starts, the Blazers already need to make an adjustment after starting power forward Zach Collins is ruled out of Game 1. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XntFQhQKnq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/XntFQhQKnq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Quick (@jwquick) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jwquick\/status\/1295496205649158144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 17, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In comparison, Lakers center <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcgeeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JaVale McGee&#8217;s<\/a><\/strong> season averages are low. He is averaging 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game. Compare this to Trail Blazers center <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nurkiju01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jusuf Nurki\u0107<\/a><\/strong>, who is averaging 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game in the 2019-20 NBA season. Nurki\u0107 played a big role in the Trail Blazers playoff-clinching win over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/memphis-grizzlies\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> with 22 points and 21 rebounds.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A monster first half for Jusuf! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mAiHZ6nF7q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/mAiHZ6nF7q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/trailblazers\/status\/1294722261749043205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Both teams also know how to rebound the ball with the Lakers ranked ninth and the Trail Blazers ranked 12th.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Advantage &#8211; Los Angeles Lakers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h3><strong>Backcourt <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>Damian Lillard the NBA Bubble MVP<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It is not clear who will be starting for the Lakers in the backcourt. However, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenda02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Danny Green<\/a><\/strong>, a two-time NBA Champion, and three-time NBA Finalist is likely one option.<\/p>\n<p>He is averaging 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals this season. The other likely starter in the backcourt is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/caldwke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kentavious Caldwell-Pope<\/a><\/strong>. He is averaging 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.<\/p>\n<p>The Trail Blazers\u2019 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccolcj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CJ McCollum<\/a><\/strong> is averaging 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a><\/strong> is Portland&#8217;s best player and is averaging 30.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season. It is clear who has the better backcourt.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Damian Lillard is named unanimous bubble MVP \u231a\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sl7MEuL7tj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/sl7MEuL7tj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleacherReport\/status\/1294698459233161219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Advantage &#8211; Portland Trail Blazers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h3><strong>Bench <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>Hassan Whiteside is the X-Factor<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the Trail Blazers&#8217; biggest weaknesses and possible problem in the playoffs is their bench. They were last in the bubble in points per game according to <a href=\"https:\/\/stats.nba.com\/teams\/traditional\/?StarterBench=Bench&amp;sort=PTS&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DateFrom=07%2F30%2F2020&amp;DateTo=08%2F14%2F2020\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stats.nba.com<\/a>. They were also last in points per game in the entire 2019-20 NBA season.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers have the 11<sup>th<\/sup> best bench in the NBA. They also have the 12<sup>th<\/sup> best bench in the NBA bubble. They have some experienced players that have won and have been in the NBA Finals. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/howardw01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dwight Howard<\/a><\/strong> is averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds and will be a valuable contributor to the team. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rondora01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rajon Rondo<\/a><\/strong> is another great player averaging 7.1 points per game but will be out Game 1 and his availability for the rest of the series is still up in the air.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, players like Rondo, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hortota01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Talen Horton-Tucker<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Caruso<\/a><\/strong> might challenge Green and Caldwell-Pope for the starting guard spots.<\/p>\n<p>For the Trail Blazers, their main player off the bench is Whiteside. Whiteside is averaging a double-double with 15.5 points, and 13.5 rebounds per game. He will be an asset for Portland but he is likely to start in Game 1 after Collins suffered an injury.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, the Trail Blazers are last in bench points. However, if Whiteside comes off of the bench and Nurkic plays well, they will have a chance. Remember, the bench shortens when the playoffs begin and Whiteside is the best bench player of both teams.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hassan Whiteside becomes the 15th player to lead more one season in blocks, his second achievement. Another 8 players also got 2 and above in this group:<\/p>\n<p>5 = Dikembe Mutombo<br \/>4 = Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton and Serge Ibaka<br \/>3 = George Johnson and Marcus Camby <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FzgyEFhYUg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/FzgyEFhYUg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Top Data NBA (@TopDataNBA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TopDataNBA\/status\/1295487238760005633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 17, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Advantage &#8211; Portland Trail Blazers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h3><strong>Intangibles <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>LeBron James Is the Reigning Assists Champion<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The intangibles for each team are the unselfish plays that are not seen in the scoresheet. It is also about helping other players find their way into the game and making them successful each and every game.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at assists per game, the Trail Blazers are last with 20.6 assists per game. While the Lakers are 10<sup>th<\/sup> with 25.4 assists per game according to <a href=\"https:\/\/stats.nba.com\/teams\/traditional\/?sort=AST&amp;dir=-1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stats.nba.com<\/a>. A lot of that discrepancy is due to the fact that they score a lot of their points off of isolation plays from Lillard and McCollum.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers are a much better team in that aspect as they are 10<sup>th<\/sup> in the NBA in team assists. James played a big role in that, averaging over 10 assists per game.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">17th season. 1st assist title. <\/p>\n<p>Congratulations to the always evolving <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KingJames<\/a> \ud83d\udc51 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/35zXQaETiT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/35zXQaETiT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Lakers\/status\/1294486299085168641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, the Trail Blazers have a massive advantage in hustle stats. They average 26.6 points per game through screen assists according to <a href=\"https:\/\/stats.nba.com\/teams\/hustle\/?sort=SCREEN_AST_PTS&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stats.nba.com<\/a>. This is good for second in the NBA.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers are ranked 23<sup>rd<\/sup> with 19.5 points created via screen assists. The Trail Blazers also get more contested shots ranked 14<sup>th<\/sup> and the Lakers are ranked 25<sup>th<\/sup>. However, the Lakers are better with deflections as they are ranked fifth compared to the Trail Blazers, who are ranked 26<sup>th<\/sup>. Lastly, looking at box-outs, the Lakers have a clear advantage. The Trail Blazers are 27<sup>th<\/sup> in box-outs while the Lakers are 12<sup>th<\/sup> in box-outs.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Advantage &#8211; Los Angeles Lakers<\/b><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Coaches <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>Frank Vogel, Two-Time NBA All-Star Head Coach<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This is another statistic that is hard to judge. Frank Vogel, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, has been to the NBA All-Star Game as the head coach in 2014 and 2020. Furthermore, when he was the head coach of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/indiana-pacers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indiana Pacers<\/a>, they made the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2013 and 2014. This record is comparable to Terry Stotts of the Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n<p>This is what Davis said of Vogel according to Kevin Arnovitz of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/28485296\/how-frank-vogel-won-lakers-their-superstars\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He got on all of us &#8212; me, LeBron, everyone. A lot of coaches don&#8217;t get on their superstars, but he does,&#8221; Davis says. &#8220;What&#8217;s impressed me the most is that even when we win, he holds us accountable. When a team sees a coach getting on LeBron or me, the other guys respect him more and know they&#8217;ll be held accountable too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lakers News: Frank Vogel Will Coach Team LeBron James In 2020 NBA All-Star Game <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kkgRDyczX7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/kkgRDyczX7<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3CGdxsQgZy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3CGdxsQgZy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lakers News (@lakers_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lakers_news\/status\/1220826243811012608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>While Stotts never made the NBA All-Star Game, this will be his seventh NBA playoff appearance in a row. He has also been the head coach of the Trail Blazers since 2012. This includes making the Western Conference Finals in 2019, where they were swept by the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/golden-state-warriors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Golden State Warriors.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Credit should also be given to Stotts for allowing Lillard to shoot from half-court. This is what he said according to Isaiah De Los Santos of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blazersedge.com\/2020\/4\/22\/21231452\/terry-stotts-prepared-damian-lillard-half-court-shot-blazers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">blazersedge.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore this whole pandemic, I think it was about a month before it happened, he was shooting it pretty easy from half-court and asked, \u2018Coach, what you think when I come down and do this?\u2019 I didn\u2019t say yes, I didn\u2019t say no, but I\u2019m definitely prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is another tough choice. However, unlike Stotts, Vogel has made an appearance into the NBA All-Star Game as the head coach and has appeared in one more Conference Finals then Stotts.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Advantage &#8211; Los Angeles Lakers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h3><strong>NBA Playoffs Preview Prediction \u2013 Los Angeles Lakers in Seven Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This is going to be an intense playoff series as the Lakers have the edge in three of the five factors. The Trail Blazers certainly have a chance to win the series as they went 6-and-2 to end their season in the bubble. They then went and won against the Grizzlies to clinch their seventh-straight playoff berth.<\/p>\n<p>It would not be shocking if the Trail Blazers are able to accomplish the upset. The Lakers have struggled in the bubble going 3-and-5. However, the Lakers won the 2019-20 NBA season series two games to one.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers are dealing with some injury problems as James, Davis, and Rondo are day-to-day. Also, the Lakers do not have <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bradlav01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Avery Bradley<\/a><\/strong>, who is one of their best defensive players. The Trail Blazers though have more injuries\/absences as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/swanica01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caleb Swanigan<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/arizatr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Ariza<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoodro01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rodney Hood<\/a><\/strong> are all out. Also, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/littlna01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nassir Little<\/a><\/strong> and Collins (who is out for Game 1) are day-to-day.<\/p>\n<p>A big concern for the Lakers is that they have been the second-worst team in the Orlando bubble offensively. Furthermore, facing a red-hot team like the Trail Blazers, who are first in offense in the Orlando bubble, could be too much for the Lakers to handle.<\/p>\n<p>That is until one looks at the defense of both teams. For the 2019-20 NBA season, the Trail Blazers have the fourth-lowest defensive rating. The Lakers are third in the league. The Lakers&#8217; defense will play a big role in their success in this series. The winner of this series will face the winner of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/2020\/08\/18\/houston-rockets-oklahoma-city-thunder\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Houston Rockets<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/oklahoma-city-thunder\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> series.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It starts Tuesday.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RipCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#RipCity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vExtPIp468\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vExtPIp468<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/trailblazers\/status\/1295057738830028800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 16, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo<br \/>\n<a id=\"rr2dTajZQ4hZpItoc9w_PQ\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1205880204\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'rr2dTajZQ4hZpItoc9w_PQ',sig:'9nsKouvyowXNpkQirqv1DOWqdaCS2bmkLZ1UcalMPHs=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1205880204',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2013, while the Portland Trail Blazers will be making their seventh-straight NBA playoff appearance. This will be the 12th NBA playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. NBA Playoffs Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Frontcourt \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3104,"featured_media":32901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1608,62,23],"tags":[2037,240,67,1934,187,1009,205,206,601,135,1105,38,3817,209,970],"class_list":["post-32873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","category-basketball","category-nba","category-trailblazers","tag-alex-caruso","tag-anthony-davis","tag-carmelo-anthony","tag-cj-mccollum","tag-damian-lillard","tag-danny-green","tag-dwight-howard","tag-hassan-whiteside","tag-javale-mcgee","tag-jusuf-nurkic","tag-kentavious-caldwell-pope","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-playoffs-preview","tag-rajon-rondo","tag-zach-collins"],"modified_by":"Tyler Marling","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}