The Lakers (22-11) return home from a 1-game trip to face Portland (18-13) for a 7:00 p.m. tip off on Spectrum SportsNet.
Below are three things to know in advance of the matchup:
SCHRODER’S RETURN?
Starting point guard Dennis Schroder has missed the last four games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and the Lakers have lost all four. His absence has coincided with that of Anthony Davis, leaving the Lakers without their second and third most reliable shot creators after LeBron James. Prior to Schroder’s absence, L.A. had won eight of nine games.
If he’s able to clear protocols and play, it’s good timing for the Lakers, given L.A.’s opposition at the PG position: Damian Lillard on Friday and Steph Curry on Sunday. Schroder has already proven himself to be a big plus on the defensive end, as he actually leads the Lakers in DEF EFF at 106.9. The speedy, wiry Schroder picks opposing guards up 94 feet, battles around screens and even holds up well on switches with bigger players. On the other side of the floor, his ability to attack defenses from the weak side of the floor – with the attention on LeBron on the strong side – is also key. He should be able to get to and finish at the rim against the Blazers, currently shorthanded up front, with Enes Kanter – not a true rim protector – playing 38 minutes at center in Portland’s last game.
PORTLAND’S STATE OF PLAY
While Lakers have lost four straight for the first time since last December, the Blazers are looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat of their own, as they carry in three straight losses (WAS, PHX, DEN) after they’d won their previous six games. Their primary struggle has been on the defensive end, where they rank 29th in DEF EFF, in front of only Sacramento. Injuries have played a major role overall, with starters CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic playing just 25 combined games, forcing role players like Kanter and Carmelo Anthony into larger than ideal spots. But the additions of Robert Covington (who came over in a trade for their first round pick) and Derrick Jones, Jr. do not seem to have made the type of defensive impact Portland had hoped for.
The Blazers aren’t shy from three, hitting 16.2 per game to trail only L.A.’s last opponent, Utah (17.0), and both of those marks are on pace to break last season’s all-time NBA record of 16.1 makes per game (Houston). Portland also takes care of the basketball, ranking 2nd in turnovers committed (11.5). One benefit of more minutes from Kanter has been an uptick in 2nd chance points, where they rank 3rd in the NBA with 14.9 per game.
AD’S STARTING SPOT
With Anthony Davis out for at least a few more weeks, Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris will be continually asked to man Davis’ spot in the rotation. It was Kuz starting the first four games without AD, and he played quite well, going for 16 points and nine boards against Brooklyn, 23 points against Miami and 14 points with 11 boards against the Wizards. But against Utah, Morris got the starting nod, and he was a bright spot in a dud of a game, hitting 5 of 10 shots for 12 points with nine boards in 28 minutes.
While both players can create their own shot, Kuzma has been the more reliable generator on offense, and perhaps Vogel was looking for a boost to the bench group that would typically have either LeBron, AD or Schroder carrying more weight. If Schroder returns, that puts less pressure on one player having to do more with the bench unit, as Vogel can stagger LeBron and Schroder’s playing time.
In Portland’s last four games, they’ve allowed 124, 118, 132 and 111 points, and the Lakers will be looking to find their range after being held under 100 points in three of their previous four games.