Despite the trio of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James all being out with injury, the Lakers had one of the most memorable wins in recent years, knocking off the Blazers, 123-115.
Nick Smith Jr.
caught fire in the second half, pouring in 25 points on 10-15 shooting overall and 5-6 shooting from range.
Rui Hachimura carried the team in the first half with 29 points on 10-15 shooting. Deandre Ayton had 29 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks after missing Sunday’s game.
Dalton Knecht pitched in with eight points. Marcus Smart scored nine points, five assists, two rebounds and three steals. Jake Laravia put up 11 points with five rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Bronny James had another solid outing with five points, six assists and a steal. Every Laker who played in the game scored on the night.
Four of the five starters for LA scored to start the first period. Ayton and Hachimura both had four points while Smart already had two assists and a steal. After a Portland timeout, Toumani Camara drained a 3-pointer.
The Trail Blazers began to find their rhythm on offense, taking a three-point lead. Los Angeles only had two attempts from behind the arc, missing both.
LaRavia scored his first points on a jumper, marking all five starters scoring for the Lakers in the quarter. Knecht notched six points and also converted on a layup right at the buzzer to make it a nine-point deficit for the purple and gold.
Hachimura opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Not much went well for LA after that as they fell behind by 13. Portland scored seven straight points to open up the lead while the Lakers were struggling to make shots.
The only other Laker to score in this quarter was Ayton on a hook shot as Hachimura took over offensively to keep the purple and gold in the game.
Ayton and Hachimura helped Los Angeles go on a 10-2 run and then Smith Jr. scored eight straight points to make it a two-point affair.
Despite being down so many ball handlers and scorers, LA was hanging in there, trailing by only one at halftime.
The third period started rough as the Lakers fell behind by nine. LA was fouling Portland, leading the Blazers entering the bonus very early in the quarter.
Ayton started to heat up offensively, scoring six points. His takeover helped launch a 12-1 scoring run for the Lakers to go up by two at the 6:43 mark. Los Angeles seized control of the game in the quarter with their defense, but were also shooting 61% from the field offensively as well.
Smith Jr. continued to light it up from not just the paint, but also behind the arc. He was now at 13 points. Bronny also logged in productive minutes off the bench with five assists.
Portland scored a quick four points to try to keep it close. Going into the fourth period, though, the Lakers were up by four.
The final frame saw Bronny knock down his first shot of the game, which was a 3-pointer. The Trail Blazers once again started a quarter strong offensively, making it a one-point game.
The quarter, though, belonged to Nick Smith Jr. A barrage of 3-pointers helped keep the Lakers ahead down the stretch and he helped put the cherry on top of the win with consecutive assists to Ayton, the latter an alley-oop for the emphatic dunk and exclamation point.
Key Takeaways:
LA has had some great games this year, but this was the best win so far.
The Nick Smith Jr. game! The definition of stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
Bronny’s solid minutes have been crucial for this team as they try to weather the storm of injuries. His court vision has been incredible.
The Lakers’ next matchup is Wednesday against Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
