The Portland Trail Blazers showed up to face the Los Angeles Lakers to lose a three-game game and establish themselves against the World Champions. Damian Lillard makes his best Gladys Knight impression, takes the microphone and belts it out and keeps an eye on him. Unfortunately, his teammates were barely half a Pip. Lillard scored 35, but LeBron James tipped with 28. James ‘teammates were much better than Ladies’. Portland shot just 37.8%, 27.8 of three heading for a 102-93 defeat.
First term
The Blazers treated the Lakers like leftovers in the first three minutes and foiled around every turn. They mostly quickly got offended and noticed while LA was still calculating what to do. Lillard and Gary Trent, Jr., were at the forefront of the offense and sank jumpers while the Lakers watched. The home team overcame the dreaded timeout 10-2 by 9 p.m. It did not help. Instead of correcting their game, the Lakers started turning it around, leading to more Portland points. However, the Blazers got a big speed bump and then the curb then the second unit arrived. LA had the faster pace while Portland’s game got ugly. Enes Kanter and Montrezl Harrell have a “Who Can’t Guard Who?” Had match, leading to crazy mistakes. As for the flute drawing, however, Dame is the king. He stayed on the floor for several minutes and made mistakes so that his team did not collapse. Behind Lillard’s 15, Portland led 29-24 after one. It was a good effort, but after a brilliant start and lots of Dame, it felt like the pillow needed to be bigger.
Second term
Both teams clicked at the start of the second and struck out different series. However, none of them found sustained success. The opponents packed the track with multiple defenders and stripped and pushed and forced each other. The only clear shots were deep. The Blazers are not going to lose the game, not even on a mocking night. The tide began to turn as the mid-minutes of the quarter crept by. Behind James, the Lakers became serious on defense and guarded inside and out. This is a game that the Blazers are not going to win on their best night. The Lakers took the lead every time he went to the edge and bothered all his friends while shooting. However, it was like waving a red hood in front of Lillard. He shot, slid and boogie past the LA traps, keeping his team in the fray. At halftime, Lillard’s score was up to 24 despite the Lakers doubling him each time. That was enough to put Portland ahead 57-54.
Third term
The Blazers and Lakers could just as well have started ten guys named Joe when the second half started; the play was so sloppy. Free throws and turnover were the order of the day. The good news for Portland was that the Lakers wanted to throw the house defensively at them, but LA still could not earn separation on the scoreboard. The teams bought the first 6:00 time before the points picked up a bit. Unfortunately, most of it was on the side of Los Angeles. Sturdy defense is their hallmark; their transgression is not going to dorm forever. Portland still stole blocks and steals, but their basic defense fell apart. Three-pointers and quick breaks led LA to a double-digit lead. The Blazers closed it at 9 at the end of the period. The Lakers led 85-76 after three.
Fourth term
LeBron James sat on the bench when the fourth quarter began, but that did not stop the Lakers from extending their lead … a bad sign for Portland. Things got worse when he checked in again. The lead is up to 15. The jackets were in desperation / recovery mode before the quarter was four minutes old. Desperation did not help, nor was recovery possible. Isolated scores from Lillard and Gary Trent, Jr., were the best the Blazers could pick. It was not close enough.
Fatigue, a thinner grid and the law of averages are all Portland’s things in this one. They will have to get it and try again on Monday.
Goal scorer
Portland returns home to welcome the Charlotte Hornets Monday night at 7:30 p.m.