The Los Angeles Lakers face their toughest early-season test on Tuesday night when they host the unbeaten Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena in the late game of a four-game NBA slate.
Both teams enter unbeaten — Portland at 2-0 and Los Angeles at 3-0, according to previews of Tuesday’s games — making this the only unbeaten-versus-unbeaten clash on the night. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 p.m. ET, broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Luka Doncic is the headline act. He scored 52 points against Utah in his last outing, according to reports, and is averaging 34.3 points through three games. Portland’s rebounding edge — 50.5 per game against the Lakers’ 37.0 — gives the visitors a path to an upset.
Doncic form key for Lakers
Doncic’s scoring has carried Los Angeles early, but he has also spoken about the team needing to improve despite the perfect record. Against Portland’s size and rebounding, the Lakers will need more than Doncic’s brilliance — they will need second-chance points of their own and better defensive rebounding.
Portland, meanwhile, are without Shaedon Sharpe through injury, with Scoot Henderson a game-time decision, according to previews. Their unbeaten start has been built on balance and effort, and they will test Los Angeles’ depth.
A late-night game worth staying up for
Tuesday’s slate also features Brooklyn at Boston, Detroit at New York, and Sacramento at San Antonio, but the late game is the one everyone will be watching. An unbeaten record must fall in Los Angeles — and the winner will announce themselves as an early Western Conference force.
