Well, that wasn’t very fun for the Lakers.
The Blazers made three after three after three. Yes, Portland built yet another hefty lead. This time around, the result was different than from last January 22nd. It was a blowout win by Rip City at the old Rose Garden (which has been named the Moda Center since 2013), 127-115.
The Lakers got off to a 14-5 lead. And then from there, Portland proceeded to rain from three. They finished the quarter with a 29-5 flourish, which was punctuated by a 40-foot buzzer-beater from Damian Lillard.
L.A. never really got it going. Portland was able to get their guys open for all the threes. And sometimes, Dame would just make ridiculous three-pointers by pulling up from 35 or more feet.
Once the Blazers got up by 20, the Lakers never really threatened. They blitzed Dame and there would be an open three. The Lakers would let the non-shooters like Matisse Thybulle shoot and they’d make it. Blazers did a really great job on creating space for their shooters.
It didn’t really help that LeBron James didn’t play. With D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schröder sitting down, they needed a playmaker badly. Austin Reaves is much better as a secondary playmaker than the main one. They needed more from everybody but it was just not a great day for the Lakers.
Damian Lillard destroyed the Lakers with a 40-piece (he scored 30 in the first half). Rookie Shaedon Sharpe had 15 points and one incredible slam. Portland made 17 of their 23 threes in the first half and that was pretty much the game.
This loss overshadowed Anthony Davis’s 19-point, 20-rebound performance. Malik Beasley got it going late; he scored 22 points and led the team in scoring but wish he got it going early and kept the Lakers afloat. D’Angelo Russell had 16 points.
Sure, the Lakers were +13 on the boards, +16 in paint points, and +12 in second chance points. Those all didn’t matter since the Blazers were volcanic from behind the arc.
The Lakers have one more game before the all-star break as they go back home against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have won four of five after their 10-game skid. Remember that the Pelicans got their run going after they defeated the Lakers.
Lakers sink to 26-32. Just a bad day for Los Angeles.
