Damian Lillard sure loves playing against the Los Angeles Lakers. This statistic pretty much says it all. In each of his last three games against the Lakers (including this one), he has scored 30+ points. Something about the purple and yellow makes him go off. Blazer fans are not complaining.
The Trail Blazers head out on the road for the first time this year to Staples Center and send the fans packing. 106-94 was the final score as Portland came and went like they were never there. Lillard saw to that. Portland improves to 30-8 on the season, 12-5 on the road. The Lakers fall to 12-26, 6-13 at home.
This game followed a similar pattern and script as the game against Orlando except Portland did not jump out to enormous lead early. They did however secure a 9-2 lead just four minutes into the game, yet the Lakers stormed back and were close for the majority of this game. The Lakers shot 43% from the field in the first half and just 27% from three. Part of the puzzle that was missing from Los Angeles’ attack was Nick Young. In the first half he had zero points on 0-for-5 shooting. The great prophet of swag, as Young calls himself, was having a hard time channeling the swag into something productive. Many possessions involved him dribbling way too long and forcing up a shot that did not have prayer. Portland defenders started playing him because of that. Knowing that he was not going to pass the ball, C.J. McCollum, Lillard or Wesley Matthews would just play him physically and take away his air space. If Young is not having one of those crazy nights where he is hitting everything, then he is quite easy to defend. Furthermore, Young played almost ten minutes in the first half and provided nothing but a foul.
Not to harp on Young, but he was a big piece that was missing for the Lakers. Carlos Boozer had it going, scoring ten of his 13 points in the first half. Even Ryan Kelly had five points on 2-for-3 shooting in the first half. Still, Portland was able to secure a five-point lead going into the half. Turnovers, while not as bad as in the Orlando game, still plagued Portland at points. They turned the ball over seven times in the first half that only led to three Laker points. Still, the ball is not being thrown in a vat of butter before tip, take care of the ball.
The Lakers did make this game interesting. Like every game, the Lakers play extremely hard and, honestly, decent basketball, but they just do not have enough combined talent to wrap games up. This is evident by the Lakers having a one-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, yet giving it away almost immediately due to a defensive breakdown. It also did not help that Kobe Bryant was out and resting. Sure, there are perks of having Bryant out of a game (ball movement, balanced scoring), but Bryant has that ability to close a game (obviously), something the Lakers desperately need.
The fourth quarter, for a Blazer fan, was fun to watch. Portland outscored the Lakers 34-25 in the quarter and shot a blistering 52% from the field and 75% from deep. Lillard time, arriving on cue, was alive in the fourth quarter. Lillard scored 17 of his 34 points in the quarter on 6-for-8 shooting. Lillard got into that zone again and scored Portland’s final nine points, single-handedly snuffing out any fire that the Lakers might have had. The Lakers did cut the lead to seven with two minutes left and the Blazers needed to answer. Apparently, Portland only needed one answer and one player. Lillard would not only have an impressive dunk over two defenders, but he would also drain a 26-foot three-pointer as the final bucket leaving people stunned.
The blossoming effect is happening and Lillard’s hands are on fire, get this man an extinguisher. This reminds me of year three of Paul George. A player who had exceptional talent and potential and it is finally coming out in every aspect of his game. Lillard is not only clutch, but he has also turned into a defender and leader. How many times have we seen this season that Lillard just decides to win the game? In the past couple of seasons, Lillard would go into a zone, but it was too late or it was unnecessary. Now, he carries the team on his back. It was needed as LaMarcus Aldridge looked gassed by the end of the game. He was 1-for-4 with just two points in the fourth quarter and struggled, even on closer looks at the basket.
What more is there to say? Portland has become that team who stays poised and makes the run that the opposition does not want them to make. It is expected. When the Lakers got the game to seven, the crowd got into it at Staples and that is a scary moment. The Blazers, once the team who came out looking frazzled, looked calm and collected and knew exactly what they wanted to do and executed in the moment. Portland can be said to feel like a well-oiled machine.
Obviously, the highest scorer was Lillard who finished with 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting, 4-for-8 from three with seven assists and three rebounds. Lillard is averaging 26.3 points against the Lakers in his career. This kid likes the spotlight and does not care who is playing against. The mystique and aura that surrounds the Lakers does not faze him and he performs at his best when the lights are on. But, we already knew that.
Matthews finished with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, 3-for-7 from three. Hitting a couple key three-pointers in the fourth, Matthews always seems to have sneaky good games in the shadow of monster Aldridge or Lillard games. Matthews has been so on point and so consistent. Sign that man to an extension.
Chris Kaman performed better this time out. He finished with nine points on 4-for-10 shooting and 12 rebounds. Whether it was him performing against his former team or just finding his rhythm, Kaman looked to be more locked in and focused. He still has that knack for losing the ball and getting stripped, which is something that continues to be a frustration. But, Kaman has provided good minutes. He played 32 minutes tonight and did not look exhausted. It seems his stamina is increasing.
Aldridge struggled shooting-wise. He finished with just 15 points on 7-for-18 shooting with nine rebounds. He started off the game going 3-for-5 in the first quarter, but then slowly faded as the game progressed. He was still a threat and still a monster presence, but his shooting and his energy level had obviously started fading as the game was nearing the end.
Meyers Leonard. My goodness, is this it? Has it finally happened? Has the little Leonard we have known finally started growing up? Once again, Leonard has provided excellent minutes and production from his position in his last three games. He finished with ten points on 4-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 from three with four rebounds. The one aspect I noticed tonight was his confidence. That was his biggest hurdle. He does not hesitate on shots anymore, he is communicating on defense and he is involved in more plays. He caught a Nicolas Batum bounce pass as he rolled to the basket. Stopped at a defender and then hooked it up for a bucket. Meyers has developed patience and does not panic. He committed four fouls, but he also played 20 minutes. It is happening.
Lastly, Steve Blake had a solid game and made three important three-pointers. He finished with nine points on 3-for-8 shooting, 3-for-7 from three with just two assists.
The game itself was nothing spectacular. Portland showed poise down the stretch and the Lakers did not have enough talent or “umph” to get over the hump. Lillard ended it quickly and impressively leaving Blazer fans with a little present.
The Blazers will have two days off before facing the current kings of Los Angeles, the Clippers. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. PST at the Moda Center on Wednesday. The last time these two teams faced, the Blazers were 3-2 and let the game slip away in Staples. Now, Portland sits having won 27 more games and lost just six in that span. The Clippers are still a fantastic team with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, but something about their roster does not seem to be clicking. With the roster they have, they should be bulldozing everyone. Now, they seem to be the one Western Conference team that is struggling to stay afloat. Stay tuned!