The Portland Trail Blazers travel to California on Friday to play the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is at 10:30 p.m. ET and can be watched below via the live stream.
Los Angeles (20-54) has little to play for outside of pride. For consecutive seasons the Lakers are headed to the NBA lottery where, if the season were to end today, they'd have the fourth-best chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick. For the Lakers front office, the end of the season is about evaluating its current roster and deciding whom, if anybody, to keep.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, one Lakers player has already played himself into another season with the team.
"Though the assumption when Jordan Hill signed a two-year deal worth $18 million last summer was that the Lakers would deal him by the trade deadline and that the second year of his contract (a team option) would not be exercised, sources have said all year that there is a distinct possibility the Lakers will, in fact, keep Hill going forward," Deveney wrote Thursday. "... The Lakers want to be active on the free-agent market, but considering the going rate for big men, front-office executives have told me the Lakers are leaning toward keeping Hill, unless they get some assurance they can land a star big man in free agency."
Portland, meanwhile, is 48-26 and has already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Although the Trail Blazers currently sit fourth in the Western Conference standings, they're looking to turn things around so they can head into the postseason with momentum. Portland has lost six of its last 10 games, including Wednesday's 126-122 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Look, you hate losing games," coach Terry Stotts said after the loss, according to ESPN. "You hate losing at home and you hate losing to a team that you might see in the playoffs. There's a lot of things not to be happy about tonight."
Watch the live stream HERE.
