Hello basketball fans! Another exciting NBA game time occurs and I am here again to have some short recap for the Los Angeles Lakers VS the Portland Trail Blazers match. Let's do it and let's have some basketball talk!
Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers spoils LeBron James' Lakers debut as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 128-119 on Thursday night. LeBron electrifies the crowd with his two thunderous signature dunks in the first quarter. One is from a LeBron steal and with an open court for James, it's time for the Lake show! The crowd roars as James hammers the jam but Damian Lillard silence L.A. fans as he led the Blazers for the win.
It was a close fight from the begining up to the third quarter. The Lakers even lead early in the game but the Trail Blazers fought back and battled it out hard against L.A. In the fourth quarter, Portland pulls away as they take momentum from their outside shots. Lakers somehow cuts the lead in the final minute but it was not enough for them as they came up short and Lillard secured the win in the end.
Stats
Damian Lillard of course led the Blazers in scoring with his 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block while his back court partner CJ McCollum finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Lillard shot 42.9 percent from the field making 2 three-pointers. McCollum made three triples and shot 35.3 percent from the field.
Jusuf Nurkic provided inside presence after contributing 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Evan Turner added 13 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. One amazing performance for the night was the performance by Nik Stauskas who scored 24 big points off the bench. He was hot from beyond the arc making 5 threes on 63.6 percent field goal percentage. It was a nice start for the Trail Blazers beating the most hyped team for the 2018-2019 season.
For the Lakers, the King did his job well but not his best performance. I think the Lakers are still finding rhythm and chemistry to start the season like this. LeBron James had a solid start as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers as he finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. James shot 9 for 16 on 56.3 percent shooting from the field. Rajon Rondo also had a fine game scoring 13 points with 4 rebounds, 11 assists and 1 steal while Lonzo Ball only had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Josh Hard did a great job off the bench as he added 20 points with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Josh Hart is very good in finishing to the rim even in traffic. He's also good in transition. This kid will continue developing his game.
Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram finished the game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks shooting 46.7 percent from the field while Kyle Kuzma had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal shooting 33.3 percent. JaVale McGee continues to play really well with the Lakers. He's been an easy target for Rondo and LeBron finding himself in the right position at the right time. McGee was also a force defensively. He's timing is developing and he blocks more shots now. He finished the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
Even with an upset lost from the Lakers, they're still looking pretty good and just need to have some improvements. They need to be consistent shooting the outside shot. One important lesson the Lakers might learn early in the season is, It's very tough to win in the Western Conference. Let's see if they will come back strong.
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