The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers after the blowout against Minnesota the day before. Dennis Schröder plays strong, but the German national player is powerless against the great guards of the guests.
Los Angeles Lakers (2-2) – Portland Trail Blazers (2-1) 107:115
For Portland Damian Lillard was the best scorer with 31 points (10/16 FG), partner CJ McCollum put on a double-double with 20 points and 11 assists. No less important was Gary Trent Jr., who scored 28 points (7/11 threesome) from the bench and played a major role in turning the game over in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles went into the final section with a marginal lead (85:84), in which Trent Jr. scored 11 points, giving Lillard a long break. In the OT victory against the Rockets, the reserve guard had only got 6 minutes of deployment time.
It wasn’t enough for the Lakers that LeBron James equalized a 7-point deficit with 5 fast points in the middle of the section. Lillard turned it up again, Jusuf Nurkic (10, 12 boards) collected important rebounds and was there with a decisive jump shot 20 seconds before the end, which ensured the away win.
Dennis Schröder’s good performance is not enough
29 points (11/20 FG), 9 rebounds and 6 assists from LeBron were not enough, also because Anthony Davis (13, 6/14, 10 rebounds) didn’t get the chance against his favorite opponent from the playoffs this time. At the break, the Big Man had only 2 points, after the change he was used a little better.
Shortly after the break, it initially looked like the Lakers would take control of the game. The hosts put in a 15-0 run within three minutes, with Schröder also having his best phase. The point guard scored 24 points (8/16 FG, 7/7 FT) and played 4 assists.
The Lakers’ problem, however, was the weak bank, where all five players put together came on fewer points (23) than Trent Jr. That Trent was also flanked by Enes Kanter (12, 14 rebounds), who dominated his matchup against Montrezl Harrell (9). Carmelo Anthony and Alex Caruso were absent due to the NBA’s hygiene protocol.
.
