Trail Blazers Pull Away From Undermanned Lakers 122-108
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The Los Angeles Lakers came up short in their first back-to-back of the season, falling 122-108 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles entered the game without Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and several other injured players. The absences forced head coach Darvin Ham to ride a thin rotation one night after the club’s road victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Reaves Sets Early Pace
Austin Reaves, coming off a career-high 51 points on Sunday, opened the scoring and poured in 13 points in the first seven minutes to stake the Lakers to an early lead. When Reaves took his first rest, former Laker Deandre Ayton scored six quick points for Portland, and the Trail Blazers closed the quarter on a Jrue Holiday buzzer-beater to move in front 28-24.
Second-Quarter Tug-of-War
Reaves returned to spark another run, assisting teammates and scoring to temporarily reclaim the advantage. Jarred Vanderbilt converted two transition baskets and Rui Hachimura knocked down a corner three, but a flurry of fouls and video reviews slowed the period. Portland still carried a 57-51 edge into the locker room.
Portland’s Third-Quarter Surge
The Lakers opened the second half flat, surrendering an 8-2 burst that prompted an early timeout. Turnovers mounted without established ball-handlers, yet Reaves answered with consecutive triples and a layup. Rookie Dalton Knecht, quiet before the break, added six straight points to trim the gap to six, but Portland countered with another spurt for an 89-77 margin after three.
No Fuel for a Rally
Fatigue became evident in the fourth quarter as the Trail Blazers stretched the lead to 18. Los Angeles could not string together stops, and Portland cruised to the finish line behind balanced scoring.
What’s Next
The Lakers depart for a two-game trip, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The matchup in Memphis opens L.A.’s group-play schedule in the inaugural Emirates NBA Cup.
Source: Lakers Nation
