On January 2nd, Beijing time, the NBA regular season will continue with the Lakers hosting the Trail Blazers at home.
The Lakers have recently shown some momentum and made gains in the trade market, acquiring Finney-Smith and Milton. However, they lost their last home game to the league-leading Cavaliers, showing a gap in strength with a score of 110-122. Reeves scored 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists; Davis had 28 points and 13 rebounds; and James contributed 23 points and 7 assists, but they received too little support from their teammates. Currently, the Lakers have a record of 18 wins and 14 losses, ranking seventh in the Western Conference.
In the injury report for this game, Davis is listed as questionable due to an ankle sprain, while James is able to play. This season, the Lakers' performance on both offense and defense has not been outstanding, with many statistics ranking in the lower half of the league. They are able to maintain a top-eight position in the West mainly due to the hard power of their star players. Despite being 40 years old, James can still contribute 23.4 points and 8.9 assists; Davis averages 26.1 points and 11.6 rebounds. The new recruits Smith and Milton also need to quickly integrate into the team to provide more assistance.
The Trail Blazers have been in decent form recently, winning two out of their last three games, defeating the Jazz and Mavericks. However, they suffered a crushing defeat against the 76ers, losing 103-125. Their outside shooting was poor, making only 8 out of 36 three-point attempts for a 22.2% success rate, with Simmons scoring an empty 25 points. The Trail Blazers currently have a record of 11 wins and 21 losses, ranking 13th in the West, which aligns with external expectations. For this matchup against the Lakers, Grant will continue to miss the game.
This season, the Trail Blazers have no particular ambitions and are aiming for a rebuild, with the possibility of changes to their roster, as several players may be traded away. For the Trail Blazers, what they want is the future. Simmons' performance this season has declined, failing to maintain his strong form, averaging only 17.5 points and 4.9 assists. Ayton is also underperforming, averaging just 14.7 points and 10.2 rebounds.
This is the second meeting between the two teams this season. In the first encounter, the Lakers won at home 107-98 against the Trail Blazers, with James resting and Davis scoring 30 points and 11 rebounds. There is still a gap in strength between the two teams, and even if Davis is absent, James has the opportunity to lead the team to their first win of 2025.