Right in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers had their lead cut down quickly from 12 to 6 points as Anthony Davis stepped up to return. By the time he walked towards the scorer’s table, the Portland Trail Blazers scored two more and the lead was down to 4 points.
That was enough for the LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham to declare a timeout with 9:15 left on the clock. Davis entered the arena and quickly consolidated the lead. His return ensured that the Portland Trail Blazers never caught up with the Lakers as he scored 9 points in the fourth, with 4 rebounds, handing out an assist, and converting all 3 free throws.
Davis ended with 30 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, blocking 3 shots, and handing out 6 assists. Ultimately, the Portland Trail Blazers remained strong-willed and brave but finally went down 116-110 on Sunday. Jerami Grant was in the forefront with a balanced attacking game for the Portland Trail Blazers. He top-scored with 23. In the end, the young Rip City team was done in by fouls, turnovers, and missed 3-pointers. And for the Lakers, the absence of LeBron James was more than made up by Davis.
Portland Trail Blazers Have Continued To Impress Despite Their Relative Inexperience
The game on the whole swung to-and-fro with neither side dominating or building up a big lead. One takeaway for the Portland Trail Blazers was the way the inexperienced team competed with the Lakers. Their maturity and growth were evident despite the loss.
The Portland Trail Blazers may have been mostly on the wrong end of the turnover battle, but the passing of the youngsters has been fun to watch. The team has continued to win the hustle statistics despite facing regular losses. The Portland Trail Blazers are bringing in new faces every game. The introduction of Doup Reath and guard Jamaree Bouyea had an immediate positive impact on their game.