Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Portland -8.5, Total: 221.5

The Trail Blazers attempt to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on the feisty Lakers on Tuesday night.

Portland started the season off as one of the best stories in basketball, but went only 8-9 SU (9-8 ATS) in March. However, the club is currently on a three-game win streak (SU and ATS), defeating opponents by an average of 13.0 PPG over that time. The Blazers hosted the Grizzlies, one of the hottest teams in the league right now, on Sunday and came away with a 105-98 victory as two-point favorites. They shot 52% from the field in the game, marking their best shooting performance since Feb. 26. Los Angeles has actually played some solid basketball of late, winning three of its past five contests (SU and ATS), and is coming off a very impressive 115-99 win against the Suns on Sunday. The Lakers went into the game as nine-point underdogs, but managed to shoot 53.0% FG while holding their opponent to just 38.5%. Portland has managed to do fairly well on the road this season, compiling a 21-18 SU record while going 23-16 ATS. Meanwhile, the Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA at defending their home court, putting together a record of 14-22 SU (18-17-1 ATS) at Staples Center. This will be the third meeting between these two teams on the season, and they have split the previous two (SU and ATS). Surprisingly, the road team in each game earned the win with the Lakers taking a 107-106 victory as 12-point underdogs on March 3. Portland outrebounded L.A. by 12 in that contest, but turned the ball over 20 times. The Lakers have gone 6-3 SU (4-5 ATS) in this matchup going back three seasons, including going 4-1 SU (2-3 ATS) when playing at home. The injury list for the Blazers is clean going into this one while the Lakers have dealt with plenty of injuries all season long. PF Pau Gasol (vertigo) is listed as probable and SG Xavier Henry (knee) is questionable for Tuesday's contest, while the club continues to play without SG Kobe Bryant (knee) and PGs Steve Nash (back) and Jordan Farmar (groin).

Can the Blazers win convincingly on the road? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2012-13 season. The experts are finishing the regular season strong at 54% ATS (42-36) in NBA Best Bets since March 9. StatFox Dave has a hefty 57% ATS (48-37-1) Best Bets record since Dec. 1, while StatFox Brian remains profitable, going 55% ATS (26-21-1) since Jan. 25. StatFox Gary is also heating up with a 60% ATS mark (18-12) since Feb. 13, while StatFox Zach is a stellar 73% ATS (11-4) since March 9.

Portland was the top offense in the NBA for much of the season, but a poor March dropped the club to fourth in the league with 106.6 PPG. The Blazers have been putting up even fewer points over their past five games, averaging 94.4 PPG (43% FG), but are allowing opponents to tally just 89.0 PPG (43% FG) in the same timeframe. The defense has played nowhere near that number on the season though, giving up 102.6 PPG (9th-worst in league). PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.0 BPG) was a big reason for the team’s March struggles as he missed seven games in the month, but returned three games ago and has led the team to victories in each contest since with 19.3 PPG and 11.0 RPG in just 31.7 MPG. He has averaged 24.0 PPG (53% FG) with 7.5 RPG in the two meetings with the Lakers this season. PG Damian Lillard (20.9 PPG, 5.5 APG) is one of the most exciting young players in the game, but has struggled over his past five contests, scoring 17.2 PPG while shooting just 35.2% from the field. He’s played six career games against Los Angeles, scoring a hefty 22.8 PPG while adding 7.5 APG. SG Wesley Matthews (16.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG) is averaging a career-best in points, but has eclipsed 15 just once in his past six games. With only 12.0 PPG (35% FG), Matthews has performed poorly against the Lakers over two games this season.

Los Angeles may have the 12th-best offense in the league (102.6 PPG), but it ranks a subpar 11th among teams in the Western Conference, and has allowed opposing teams to drop an incredible 108.7 PPG (2nd-worst in league) on them this season. Their offense has helped them win some games recently though, scoring 111.4 PPG (50% FG) over the past five contests, leading to three wins. PF Pau Gasol (17.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG) has not played in the past four contests due to vertigo, but practiced fully with the team on Monday and should be on the court come Tuesday night. His participation in the game is vital for L.A., as he has averaged 16.8 PPG (61% FG) to go along with 9.1 RPG and 1.4 BPG over 43 career games against the Blazers. SF Nick Young (16.9 PPG) has scored just 11 points in each of his past two games while going a combined 7-for-24 shooting (29%). He played in just one of the games against Portland this season, scoring 17 points (7-of-14 FG) while adding two steals in the loss. SG Jodie Meeks (15.4 PPG, 1.5 SPG) has lit up the scoreboard in his past two contests with 20.5 PPG, and has an identical average of 20.5 PPG in the two games against the Trail Blazers on the season.