3 years ago
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PORTLAND — There was nary peculiarly “lowest” debased connected a nighttime of violative futility, but an airball by Russell Westbrook aboriginal successful the 3rd 4th seemed to nail what the evening was similar arsenic a whole.
That miss was conscionable the archetypal of 4 that the 32-year-old missed successful a enactment arsenic helium pressed, forcing lay-ups and leap shots that had little-to-no accidental of success. In the end, Westbrook conscionable 1 effort from the tract connected his mode to 8 points.
Of course, overmuch much went incorrect for the Lakers, who were already down LeBron James and mislaid Anthony Davis (stomach illness) for the crippled successful minutes. Westbrook’s struggles — and everyone else’s — spelled symptom arsenic they fell 105-90 to the Portland Trail Blazers successful genuinely disfigured show not captured by the last score.
It was ne'er overmuch successful question: Portland led by 22 astatine the extremity of the archetypal quarter. The Trail Blazers led by arsenic overmuch arsenic 34, the largest shortage the Lakers (5-5) person faced this season.
With back-to-back losses, the elevation seems lone to get steeper for the Lakers. They look Charlotte, Miami and Chicago successful the coming week astatine Staples Center, with James (abdominal strain) successful uncertainty for respective of those games. Their shortcomings connected some sides of the shot Saturday nighttime illustrated wherefore interest is mounting aboriginal for a squad that was wide considered a rubric contender entering the year.
On defense, they were a turnstile. Damian Lillard racked up 25 points successful what amounted to 3 quarters of work. But aboriginal connected especially, players specified arsenic Jusuf Nurkic (6 for 6, 15 points) and Norm Powell were capable to leak into the overgarment for buckets astatine the rim. The problems were exacerbated erstwhile the Lakers mislaid Davis, who played conscionable 7 minutes and scored 2 points earlier heading to the locker room.
A Yahoo Sports study surfaced earlier successful the week that James had met with Lillard implicit the summertime successful a gathering that awfully resembled a recruiting transportation (though Lillard is nether declaration and is improbable to beryllium traded). Lillard has since reaffirmed his committedness to Portland — 1 that seemed each the much ironclad arsenic helium came retired firing to nail 4 of his archetypal 5 shots.
Lillard’s bounce-back from a 4-point nighttime connected Friday against Indiana stood successful stark opposition to the defender that the Lakers did negociate to acquire. Westbrook — who has travel retired connected the incorrect extremity of battles with Lillard successful the past — was conscionable 1 for 13 for the evening with arsenic galore assists (6) arsenic turnovers.
But adjacent arsenic the Lakers were capable to amended somewhat connected that end, holding Portland to 15 points successful the 2nd quarter, the discourtesy ne'er truly got better. The Lakers coiled up with 19 turnovers to 20 assists arsenic a team.
It each flew isolated successful a 42-26 3rd 4th for the Blazers, who had 5 players successful treble figures erstwhile nary Lakers starters scored much than eight.
The Lakers changeable conscionable 34.4% from the field, and were led successful scoring with 13 points from Malik Monk, who padded his stats successful a meaningless 4th quarter. Two-way declaration players Sekou Doumbouya and Jay Huff got their archetypal enactment of the play successful garbage time.
Carmelo Anthony had 12 points successful his instrumentality to Portland, wherever helium spent the past 2 seasons. Dwight Howard scored 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, anchoring immoderate of the 2nd 4th units that showed immoderate beingness and brought the crippled to wrong 11 points twice.
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