The Los Angeles Lakers, now clinging desperately to the final Western Conference playoff spot, will look to keep maintain their standing when they meet the Portland Trail Blazers this evening. Start time in tonight’s showdown between Los Angeles and Portland is set for 10:00pm ET at the Rose Garden. NBA Odds have the visiting Lakers listed as a -5.5 against the spread and -240 moneyline favorite; the game total is set at 201 points. The Trail Blazers are a +200 pick to win their 23^rd home game of the season.

Los Angeles won for the fourth time in five games last night, turning back the Hornets 104-96 at the STAPLES Center. The win improved the Lakers record to 41-37 and vaulted them past the Jazz, who fell 90-80 to the Thunder last night, and into the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

L.A.’s lead is a tenuous one, though, with Utah a half game back and the Dallas 2.5 games behind. That means there is zero margin for error for the Lakers, even against a struggling team like Portland.

The Trail Blazers lost their eighth straight game on Sunday, falling to the aforementioned Mavericks 96-91 at the Rose Garden. The setback also represented Portland’s fifth consecutive home loss, dropping their host record to 22-16 for the season.

The Blazers are 1-4 in their last five meetings with the Lakers; however, four of those games took place at the STAPLES Center. Portland is 6-2 in its last eight games against L.A. at the Rose Garden, knocking off the Lakers by an average of 10.3 points per game.

Notable Trends: The Lakers are 1-8 against the spread playing as a road favorite against the Blazers with a spread between 4 and 7.5 point. L.A. is 2-8 both straight up and against the spread in its last 10 games as a road favorite at Portland.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers NBA Odds:

Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 (-110), Over 201 (-110), -240 (Moneyline)

Portland Trail Blazers +5.5 (-110), Under 201 (-110), +200 (Moneyline)

NBA Free Picks: Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trailblazers (Best Bet)

What pro basketball bettors need to know about Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday (4/10/13) - a best bet from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik, with Vegas Runner and Bryan Leonard.