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Lakers vs Trail Blazers score, takeaway: Los Angeles dominates Portland to take the lead 3-1 at Kobe Bryant Day

Get the brooms ready, because we’re headed for a gentleman’s sweep. After losing their first game of the first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers absolutely decimated the No. 8. They won Games 2 and 3 for a total of 31 points, and then stomped the Blazers for yet another decimation in Game 4, 135-115. Once again in the lead was LeBron James who scored 30 points on a swirling 10-for-12 shot to go along with 10 assists and six rebounds. Playoff LeBron is back.

Playoff Damian Lillard, however, is not. He left Game 4 with a knee injury after scoring just 11 points in two quarters and a few changes. Similarly Anthony Davis left the game, nominally due to back spasms, but given the huge margin, the Lakers didn’t see the need to risk their franchise center in a blowout. Right now, they can afford to think this way. The Lakers are shooting at all levels and have every right to believe they have claimed the league favorite coat. Here’s everything you need to know about this dominant Laker win.

1. In honor of Kobe

Monday was Kobe Bryant’s first ever day in Southern California. The deceased legend wore the number 8 and number 24 during his 20-year Laker career, so 8/24 was chosen to commemorate him. Given the typical NBA schedule, the Lakers may no longer have another chance to honor Bryant on his day. NBA games aren’t typically played in August, but the Lakers took advantage of the rare opportunity to play for Kobe.

They wore the “Black Mamba” uniforms he had designed for the game, but the rest of their tributes couldn’t be planned. The Lakers opened this game with a run of 24-8, putting both of Bryant’s numbers on the scoreboard at the same time (of course, with the Lakers on top as he would have liked). LeBron James scored eight points in the first quarter and with Davis’ 16, the two combined to match Bryant’s 24 once again. Eventually, thanks to his 30 points and 10 assists, James became the first Laker since Bryant to post consecutive doubles in the playoffs. JR Smith also equalized Bryant in the NBA’s post-season all-time 3-point leaderboard.

It’s been months since Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January, but the Lakers haven’t forgotten that. They never will. While it’s far from their sole motivator, the Lakers would definitely love to win a championship honoring Kobe, and if that’s any indicator tonight, they’re the team of destiny this season.

2. The cold series is over

The Lakers have made 17 triples in this game, shooting 17 of 39 against the Blazers. The Lakers have made 16 triples just five times during the regular season. They hadn’t done this since February 1st. It’s literally been over six months since the Lakers hit this level of shooting, and it’s just in time too.

The Lakers couldn’t hit the wide side of a barn during planting matches. They weren’t a particularly good shooting team during the regular season, but that weakness tends to be amplified in the playoffs. When teams double down on LeBron and Davis, Laker roleplayers will need to be able to make their shots. Kyle Kuzma has been on fire since he entered the bubble, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green going 5 out of 8 out of 3 is huge for their confidence. This version of the Lakers, the one that distances the floor well even with the biggest men on the floor, can be hung on anyone.

3. Put a fork in the blazers

Their seeding games were definitely inspiring. Their victory in Race 1 was astounding. But now that we have a significant champion of the Blazers playing against championship-level competition, the verdict is: they can’t keep up. The Lakers have beaten Portland’s stuffing since that upset 1 game, and as much as they deserve for doing it, Portland’s sold out roster is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here.

Zach Collins was left out for the series with a stress fracture. Rodney Hood has been most of the season. CJ McCollum is dealing with a fracture in his lower back. Damian Lillard added a knee injury to his sprained finger in Game 4. Perhaps at full strength the Blazers could have made it interesting, but the Lakers have such an overwhelming health advantage at this point that any notion of competition between these two teams is now been fired. This is a mismatch. It will end on Wednesday.

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