Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Picks and Predictions for Friday, November 6, 2026

The Portland Trail Blazers pay a visit to crypto.com Arena on Friday for a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers. Both the Trail Blazers and Lakers have won three straight and met earlier this season, with Portland winning 136-129 on the Lakers' home court. Portland (6-1) is first in the Northwest Division and Los Angeles (7-2) is first in the Pacific, while the two are first and second, respectively, in the Western Conference. Portland is coming off a 132-119 win over Phoenix, while LA beat Sacramento 116-103 last time out. This NBA Cup group play game starts at 10:00 pm ET, with Prime Video and Spectrum SportsNet carrying the action. Check out our free NBA picks for Friday's game.

Portland Trail Blazers Rolling on the Road

Portland has played well in its latest road trip with wins over Utah, Denver and Phoenix, giving the Trail Blazers three consecutive road wins. Portland lost to Memphis at home 124-103 before setting off for its current road trip, but has won four of the last five overall. The fourth win during this stretch was a Portland road win in LA over the Lakers. Through the first seven games of the season, Portland is averaging 120.2 points and allowing just 110.7. The Trail Blazers grab an average of 47.5 boards per game. 

Deni Avdija leads the Trail Blazers in scoring, averaging 23.8 points per game, while also grabbing an average of 6.3 rebounds and handing out an average of 5.5 assists. Damian Lillard is second in scoring at 19.3 points per game. Toumani Camara is making 50% of his three-point attempt, helping him to average 14.2 points. Donovan Clingan is collecting 10.5 rebounds and blocking 2.3 shots per contest. The Blazers shoot 47.1% from the floor

Injuries: Vit Krejci, Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe are out.

Los Angeles Lakers Finding Their Scoring Touch

Golden State caught the Lakers on a bad night October 30, handing them a 112-95 defeat. Since then, Los Angeles has been putting points on the board. Toronto lost 131-125, Miami got hammered 138-117, and Sacramento couldn't keep up Wednesday, falling 116-103. The Lakers also took care of the Clippers 103-87 before their trip to Golden State. Four wins in five games, with plenty of offense to show for it. Los Angeles averages 122.5 points on 52.0% shooting, while opponents score 113.9. Rebounding tells a different story. The Lakers collect only 40.1 boards per game, well behind Portland.

Luka Doncic has been a handful for opposing defenses. He's averaging 38.3 points, eight rebounds and 8.1 assists, although his 5.0 turnovers per game remain a problem. Austin Reaves has 23.6 points on 53.9% shooting. Walker Kessler gives Los Angeles 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks inside. Ziaire Williams adds 10.8 points. The Lakers make 14.9 threes per game at 39.7% and record 10.1 steals alongside 6.4 blocks. There's one number they would love to cut down: 17.6 turnovers per contest.

Injuries: Adou Thiero is out with a knee injury.

Key To The Game

The battle under the basket deserves attention. Portland averages 47.5 rebounds, compared with 40.1 for Los Angeles. Clingan and Kessler each grab 10.5 per game, so the Lakers need more help from their other players. Then there's the ball security issue. Los Angeles commits 17.6 turnovers a night, and those giveaways could hand Portland valuable extra possessions. The Lakers shoot better from the floor, but they'll need more than accurate shooting to overcome that gap.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Game Pick

• Portland Trail Blazers

I keep coming back to the boards. Portland averages 7.4 more rebounds than Los Angeles, and the Lakers turn it over 17.6 times a game. That is a tough combination against visitors who are 5-0 away from home. The Blazers already won 136-129 here, with Avdija now producing 23.8 points and Clingan grabbing 10.5 rebounds nightly. Doncic's 38.3 points and Reaves' 23.6 could absolutely swing it. Morant is out, too. Still, Portland has enough scoring around Avdija and enough rebounding to create second chances throughout Friday's matchup. Give me the Blazers again.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Lakers Over/Under Pick

• Over

A 136-129 game isn't easy to forget. That's 265 combined points from the first meeting, and recent games for both have produced plenty of points. Portland scored 132 Wednesday in Phoenix. LA has posted 131 against Toronto, 138 against Miami and 116 at Sacramento. Portland's average is 120.2 points; the Lakers' is 122.5. Doncic scores 38.3 per game, Reaves 23.6, and Portland makes 15.7 threes. LA shoots 52.0% overall. Clingan and Kessler can contest shots, but there are too many shooters here to expect a quiet night on Friday. The over is my call.