The Portland Trail Blazers held off a 41-point effort from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 on Tuesday at crypto.com Arena, improving to 3-0 to start the season. Deni Avdija scored 23 points with nine assists for Portland, while Ja Morant added 23 and Damian Lillard 21.
Austin Reaves kept the Lakers close with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, but Portland’s offense shot 59% from the field and 50% from three. The loss dropped the Lakers to 3-1.
Takeaways From Trail Blazers’ Win Over Lakers
Portland’s depth outlasted a Doncic masterclass
Doncic finished 12 of 22 from the field with 11 made free throws, and he matched Avdija’s nine assists. But Portland countered with four players in double figures, with Robert Williams III adding 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Portland outscored Los Angeles 56-48 in the paint and added 10 fast-break points while the Lakers got 22, a gap the Doncic-led offense could not overcome.
Portland weathered a double-digit hole early
Los Angeles led 38-32 after the first quarter but Portland outscored the Lakers 36-35 in the second and took the third 34-30.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Trail Blazers
Portland won the fourth quarter 34-26. Portland shot 26-of-41 from the free-throw line while the Lakers made 22 of 30.
Player Of The Game: Deni Avdija
Avdija finished with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, to go with nine assists, four rebounds, three turnovers and a steal in 33 minutes. He posted a plus-8 rating, tied for best on the night with Morant.
Trail Blazers Vs. Lakers By The Numbers
Portland shot 59% from the field; Los Angeles shot 56%. The Trail Blazers made 18 of 36 three-pointers (50%); the Lakers made 17 of 43 (40%). Portland won the rebounding battle 38-31.
Los Angeles forced 14 Portland turnovers but committed 15 itself. The Lakers’ 22 fast-break points topped Portland’s 10, but it was not enough.
What It Means
Portland improved to 3-0, 0.5 games behind Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division. The Lakers fell to 3-1 and remain first in the Pacific Division.
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