I’ll be the first to admit, I was expecting this to be a GREAT game.
As a matter of fact, WE ALL expected this to be a great game. Both of these Western Conference teams are stacked with talent, including their bench players. On a normal night for the Lakers we would see a mix of LeBron, Russell Westbrook and AD. For Portland, we would see Dame and CJ with everybody else playing their perfect role.
Bron arrived to the Moda Center in a suit and stayed in it (sitting out a game where he was desperately needed). Anthony Davis started the game and left early in the first quarter (still dealing with a thumb issue). So with that being said…Portland disintegrated the Lake Show.
First Half
The game started and it felt like both teams were on skates. The tempo was fast and upbeat with every guard pushing the ball. Per usual, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum started off hot. Dame knocked down a 3 to put the first points on the board and the arena exploded. While the Blazers racked up transition buckets, the Lakers failed to do so. Los Angeles struggled to find a groove and missed too many shots in their sloppy half court offense. For a second, we all shared a nice moment when Melo got a standing ovation after coming off the bench. His veteran skillset was an excellent weapon when he played for Portland last season. Rip City was thankful for his services, but it was time to handle business…and they did. At the end of the first quarter, the Blazers were up 36 – 14. Read that again and let’s move on.
Now the second quarter was a little different. Portland continued to shoot the lights out, but the Lakers were playing more assertive now. As Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum got some rest on the bench, Los Angeles took advantage. Melo took charge as the offense continued to play out of sync. Russell Westbrook aggressively attacked the basket, getting himself to the free throw line on occasion. Did that help? Eh, maybe. Regardless, the Portland Trail Blazers continued to benefit from second chance points and fluid fast breaks. Score 51 – 36.
Second Half
Starting the third quarter, Carmelo Anthony was the ONLY Laker with 10 points or more. Portland played sharp defense all night and it kept Los Angeles from going on any runs. So of course, Damian Lillard decided to show out and launch a few deep 3s from the volleyball line. The Moda Center erupted and it was a wrap. Dame put up 25 and reached 17,000 points for a new career milestone. By the end of the 3rd, Portland had four players in double digits and a solid lead. Score 93 – 62.
You can pretty much guess the ending right? The Lakers put up more bricks and the Blazers continued to play a flawless game. Portland’s starters did exactly what they were supposed to. Jusuf Nurkic took advantage of the paint by snagging 17 rebounds with his 15 points. By the 7 minute mark, only bench players were on the court for both teams. LeBron buttoned his suit and left the sideline early while fans started to trickle out of the arena. The game was over before it was even officially over. Coaches have always said that “defense wins games” and they’re definitely right. Portland ended the night with 14 steals and 7 blocks. Blazers win again at home, 105 – 90.