LOS ANGELES — The highs of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 3-0 start — Luka Dončić’s high-scoring nights, Walker Kessler’s historic stats, Austin Reaves’ incredible selflessness — largely delayed what became their inevitable undoing in Tuesday’s 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers have a staff capable of matching Los Angeles’ score on any given night. The first time an opponent asked the Lakers defense to win a game, problems arose.
The Lakers kept pace with the Blazers through the first three quarters, until a barrage of 3-pointers, led by Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija in the final quarter, put Portland over the top. Avdija and Ja Morant finished with 23 points each, Jrue Holiday added 22 off the bench and Lillard finished the night with 21.
“We fell apart a lot,” head coach JJ Redick said after the game. “I thought the game plan discipline (Know Your Personnel), the personnel discipline, wasn’t where it should be. Sometimes, early in the season, those are good learning lessons that we can all apply, both as coaches and as players.”
Portland’s four ball handlers scored in different ways all night: Avdija at all three levels, Morant cutting through the defense and finishing in the paint, Holiday being the off-ball savant that he is, and Lillard in high pick-and-roll actions, either burying a three on the move or fouling the shot.
To add to the Lakers’ woes, guys like Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan shot a combined 6 of 7 from beyond the arc.
“It was also an amazing shooter,” Redick added. “You have to take that into account, too. … We have to be able to rely on our defense every night. And if we score 129 points at home, we should be able to make enough saves to win.”
Kessler, the Lakers’ defensive anchor, was unable to affect the game like he had in the previous three games, mainly because much of Portland’s action took place on the perimeter. Even then, he admitted that he still had to be held accountable as the “linebacker” of the Lakers’ defense.
“Personally, I have to do a better job of getting the ball,” he said. “Being more aggressive to attack the ball. We kind of got the ball back a little bit in the second half…I have to start that way, being more aggressive. But we’ll find a way.”
The detractors of this team knew a night like this would come. They talked about it all offseason. The Lakers should beat their opponents every night. For a few moments in the first three games, Los Angeles was able to field at least a competent and dynamic quarterback defense.
But on a night where the opposing team was able to keep pace with Dončić’s 41 points and nine assists, Reaves’ ultra-efficient 26 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili’s 16 off the bench, the defense just wasn’t there.
At the start of the season, it is still considered a problem that can be solved. But the Lakers saw for themselves what would happen in the most important games if no solution was found.
You can follow Connor on Twitter at @cmorenoNBA.
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