The Portland Trail Blazers entered the Staples Center looking to avenge their expulsion from the 2020 NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. After a slow start in which the LA giants beat Portland mercilessly, the Blazers increased their guard power and crossed the World Championship 115-107. Gary Trent Jr. was the star of the night’s knockout with 28 points from 7-11 shots from the hoop. CJ McCollum added 20 and Damian Lillard 31 in the Blazers’ victory.
Portland started out slow again, with LeBron hitting 3 buckets for 7 points in the first three minutes of the game, giving LA an instant 9-2 lead. And that was before he played an unopposed dunk at halftime. Portland’s ball movement didn’t fool anyone. The Lakers were on their way to 30 in their first game against Portland’s new defense, which looked almost like the old Portland defense.
The Blazers closed the gap with the second unit, although … definitely a new development. Trent, Jr. got it right three times after checking with the bank’s first players. He would score 16 points at the break, while McCollum added 13, 11 in the second half.
Portland prospered when it stopped throwing the ball around the perimeter and attacked the hoop hard. A few easy internal scores opened the arc, and suddenly a Lakers defense that looked solid as cement became cracked and porous. The Blazers led 58-54 at the break.
If the first half was a series of races (Portland had 11- and 12-point strings), the Lakers committed to making it their trend when the second started. They scored 15 just after the break. Portland starters continued the trend of tipping the ball throughout the game, contributing to LA’s dominance. The Blazers’ guards took action at the end of the third period, but Dennis Schroder separated them on the other side. LA led 85-84 at the end of three.
Trent Jr. made a strong case for his name to be typed in capital letters during the following month, when the final period began, reaching three more trios, saved to start. Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. increased their already excellent defensive games to 11, and THEN Damian Lillard caught fire. At this point, the Blazers were not being stopped. Jusuf Nurkic made a great recovery in the final stretch and the Blazers left with the victory to go 2-1 in the young season.
LeBron James had 29 points in the defeat. Enes Kanter added 12 to 28 for Trent Jr., helping the Blazers to 45 points off the bench tonight.
Chat about the game below while waiting for Steve Dewald and the extended recap detailing all the action.
Points Box