D'Angelo Russell, D'Angelo Russell trade
March 19, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) controls the ball in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during first half at Staples Center. USA TODAY Sports/Gary A Vasquez

The Los Angeles Lakers (21-51) will host the Portland Trail Blazers (34-38) at the Staples Center April 2 in a game with playoff-implications for the visiting team. While the Lakers are just playing out the rest of the season with an eye on player development and the draft lottery, the Blazers are just a game behind the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets (35-37) and could use a victory in Los Angeles to bolster their playoff hopes.

With the Lakers and Blazers facing each other four times every season, there's a mini rivalry brewing between point guards Damian Lillard and D'Angelo Russell. Lillard has already called out the second-year Laker on several occasions for coming up short against the Blazers. The last time Lillard & co visited Staples, Russell made a game-changing tactical error before Portland walked away with a comfortable win. During the third quarter, Russell and Lillard exchanged verbal barbs that led to both guards getting technical fouls.

After that Jan. 10 contest, Lillard took another shot at Russell, suggesting that the young Laker "poked the bear" and got a loss handed to him. "I'm from Oakland, and I am not with that extra stuff. Nobody can just do what they want with me. After he blocked my shot, I was walking to my spot, I felt like he went out of his way to get that elbow in there. I told him, 'Hey man, that isn’t going to fly.' I wasn't interested in anything else that was said after that. He poked the bear," Lillard had said, via ESPN.

The Blazers has won seven of its last 10 games and has been a different team since adding Jusuf Nurkic at the NBA trade deadline. In the month of March, Nurkic is averaging an impressive tally of 14.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals as Portland's starting centre. During Saturday's 112-100 victory over the Timberwolves, Nurkic played steady defence on Karl-Anthony Towns, keeping the star big man to just 16 points and 5 rebounds. "We executed with good pace. We sprinted into screens. We came in knowing their big guys would stay back (on pick-and-rolls) and we would have open jumpers. Those are high-percentage shots," Lillard said after the win.

The Lakers, meanwhile, is fresh off a 130-119 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Jordan Clarkson made a career-high 35 points on a night when the Lakers honoured one of its all-time greats, Shaquille O'Neal, with a striking statue outside the Staples Center. After the win, Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr said that the team was inspired by Shaq's presence in the building. "The whole arena turned into 'Oh my gosh, Shaq is here.' He deserves it and it was an honour getting to play on his night. I'm just glad we got the win."

Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers live stream: How to watch

Start time: 9:30 p.m. (ET), 6:30 p.m. (PT), 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday (AEST), 1:30 p.m. (AEDT)
On TV: NBA TV (Global), Spectrum SportsNet (USA), KGW HD (USA)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass (Global), NBA TV (Global)

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