For the second time this week, the Lakers had no answer for Damian Lillard. And unfortunately for the purple and gold, he was arguably the second-best player on his team Saturday night.
Six days removed from dropping 30 in L.A., Lillard led all players with 29 points (9-of-19) and seven assists, while backcourt mate C.J. McCollum poured in 28 points of his own on a 12-of-20 clip to push Portland past the Lakers., 108-96.
“I think some of the guys get a little too nervous about getting deep, and they give (Lillard) too much space,” head coach Byron Scott said. “And then he’ll just jump and get a jump shot. Just minimal mistakes on the defensive end: lack of communication, not talking and giving up backdoor opportunities.”
McCollum was crucial to the Trail Blazers’ monster first quarter. The 24-year-old racked up half of his scoring total in that period alone, while Portland shot 13-of-18 from the field.
“We want to limit that as much as we can,” said Julius Randle, who had 16 points (8-of-13), six rebounds and three steals. “We were playing catch-up the whole time.”
The Lakers (2-13) fell behind by as many as 17 points, but shrunk that gap down to five midway through the third quarter. But then the Blazers (7-10) went on a 14-5 run and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way in their sixth straight win over L.A.
The loss also doubled as the Lakers’ fifth in a row despite four starters — Randle, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell — scoring at least 16 points each.
Bryant overcame a slow start that included a pair of first-quarter airballs to finish with a team-best 21 points — just his second time hitting the 20-point mark this year.
“Twenty years (in the NBA), it’s tough,” said Bryant, who shot 7-of-20. “The legs aren’t what they used to be, but you just continue to fight through it and take opportunities when they’re there.”
Despite Bryant’s solid finish, the Lakers didn’t have the manpower to win. With reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams absent from the team due to the death of his grandfather, L.A.’s bench was outscored 36-18 by Portland’s. The reserve Lakers shot just 6-of-19.
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Notes Clarkson had 19 points and a season-high four steals. … Russell tallied 16 points and five assists. …The Lakers forced 16 turnovers, but translated them into just 18 points. … Bryant is unsure if he will play Sunday in the second game of L.A.’s back-to-back. … Williams will not play Sunday. … A crowd of 20,019 sold out the Moda Center.
Playing through the contact
A photo posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Nov 28, 2015 at 8:13pm PST
