Damian Lillard still knows what time it is. Lillard buried a late three to put Portland up six with 43 seconds left, and the Trail Blazers held on to beat the Lakers 136-129 Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, as reported by ClutchPoints. Luka Dončić dropped 41 points and 9 assists, and it still wasn’t enough.
The win keeps Portland perfect at 3-0 and hands L.A. its first loss (3-1) in a battle of unbeatens. It was a full team effort. Deni Avdija had 23 points and 9 assists, Ja Morant added 23, Jrue Holiday scored 22 off the bench, and Lillard finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Robert Williams III chipped in a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Austin Reaves had 26 for the Lakers.
Portland shot 59% from the field and went 18-for-36 from deep. The Blazers won the fourth quarter 34-26 and scored 19 points off 15 Lakers turnovers. They also missed 15 free throws, which is the only reason this one was close at the end.
The IAHHM Take
Lillard is 36 and coming back from a ruptured Achilles. On a big stage in L.A., he still hit the shot that sealed it. That’s Dame Time.
But the bigger story is how loaded this Portland roster is. Lillard, Ja, Jrue and Avdija would be a lot for anybody to handle. Not long ago, Ja in a Blazers jersey sounded like a 2K franchise mode move. Now it’s 3-0 and real.
Next up, the Blazers face Memphis on Thursday. Yes, that means Ja against his old team. Circle it.
So be honest: are the Blazers for real, or is this a hot start that cools off by Christmas?
More NBA: LaMelo Ball feels the love in his first Timberwolves home game.
Source: ClutchPoints
