The LA Lakers won their second game in a row against the Portland Trail Blazers, getting the edge in the series following an opening loss. The purple and gold outmuscled the Trail Blazers in tonight’s event with 116-108 with LeBron James smashing the rivals.
LBJ dropped 38 points and was near a triple-double with 12 boards and 8 assists. He was 11-for-18 from the field, 12-for-17 from the free-throw line, and added four threes and two steals.
However, the guy who became fired-up in the crucial moments was Anthony Davis. He delivered 23 of his 29 points in the second half, allowing the Lakers to catch up the Blazers’ lead, before turning things upside down int he final sequence. Even Portland’s head coach Terry Stotts suggested that Davis, not James, was, in fact, a key factor in this matchup.
“It came down to a fourth-quarter game. Anthony Davis made his perimeter shots and we came up empty too often,” he said.
His Trail Blazers were leading throughout the majority of the match, but late in the third, they ran of juice, and the Lakers made a 14-3 burst, which saw them pulling away to a double-digit lead. Portland did come back and cut the deficit, but they didn’t have the power for one more push, and in the end, LAL won.
Even with his index finger injured, Damian Lillard scored 34 points, dishing seven assists and five boards. Dame missed just one free throw in 14 attempts and scored five threes. Meanwhile, CJ McCollum added 28, with 8 boards and four assists.
Carmelo Anthony was inspired too, scoring 20 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and coming up with four steals all that in 42 minutes of play.
LeBron James on passing Tim Duncan for the second-most playoff wins (158) in NBA history: “He lived in the postseason. That was his address. For me to be linked with the Big Fundamental, it means a lot.”
🎥: @NBA
pic.twitter.com/wdmpMitJ8l— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) August 23, 2020
With the Lakers, apart from the leading duo that scored 57 points, there weren’t too many players who had a notable role. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points, and Alex Caruso 10, which would be it.
Frank Vogel’s team had a massive advantage on the glass, with 55 rebounds, compared to 38 of the Trail Blazers. Even though both Nurkic and Whiteside started the match, they combined for 15 boards, without a notable impact on the game. Nurk had 10 points and Whiteside 8.
What was also a major difference, were the free throws, as the Lakers had 43, while on the other side, Portland just 19. Game 4 of the series is set for Monday.