Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Portland Trailblazers where the Lakers made it a game in the first three quarters thanks to Jordan Clarkson, but the Blazers were just simply too much as the backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J, McCollum helped the Blazers rout the Lakers 107-77.
It's about time that I was able to cover a game. I can tell there has been a lot of frustration about the lack of Laker content on the blog and yes I take full responsibility for that. However, I've said this in the past and I'll say it again, I do have a life outside of this blog and most of the personal agenda I had to deal with overshadowed my time here covering the games, so I apologize for that and like I said, I take responsibility. Let's get to this game, though, not a surprising result. The Lakers did all they could to hang in there, but Portland's just too good, they have a playoff spot to up themselves at even more. For some Laker fans, it's another frustrating loss, but that gives the Lakers in a good position to draft higher. If you ask me, I have no say on this other than the fact that I just want this team to be playoff relevant again rather than a dumpster fire consisting of D-League players disguising themselves as NBA pros. Whatever it takes, just get them back there.
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Jordan Clarkson, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 12-20 shooting. Behind this dumpster fire, lies a diamond in the rough and Clarkson continues to shine in his rookie year despite a lackluster season. I've always wanted to see him in action as in my quick recaps, he's always been the top performer, the leading scorer. All I can say is that I've finally saw some evidence of one of Clarkson's spectacular games. Back to back threes in the 2nd quarter, a buzzer beater in the 3rd quarter, he was giving the Blazers defense all kinds of fits with the game he played tonight. He's been working on that jump shot because all he was known for are his floaters and attacking the rim for a layup, but once he's polished that jump shot, the sky is the limit. I hope he continues to work and with Randle coming back, hoping he improves and gets healthy, the Lakers have something to build around for the future. As delusional as this sounds: Jordan Clarkson for Rookie of the Year, although it probably won't happen by a long shot.
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Field goals. Just go in already would you? The Lakers are lucky to at least have a 37% shooting from the field from this game because this was atrocious. Balls grazing the rim, air balls, balls falling in and out of the hoop, hitting the back of the rim, it was complete garbage all around for the offense. They just couldn't buy a bucket all game long, not even in garbage time when the Blazers are already resting their starters.
Jeremy Lin, 4 points, 1-9 shooting. Lin was a big time contributor as to why the whole team sucked in terms of shooting the ball. It's likely he's going to be out of LA once this season is all said and done. He's been up and down all season long, but this game just put an icing on the cake as he was just throwing up a lot of bricks. I don't know if it was an off night, but Lin was put on ice this game and he didn't even dish out a single assist.
Big men. Aside from Tarik Black's 5-10 shooting, Ed Davis, 2 points, 1-3 shooting, Jordan Hill, 0-1, Carlos Boozer, 0-4, Robert Sacre, 0-2. The fact that Sacre even played speaks volumes that this Laker team needs a big man that can post up, work for his shot, and score. Wesley Johnson's undersized, Ryan Kelly's undersized. Despite the fact Wes did grab a monster 15 boards, the Lakers are in need, they're in dire need to get a big man since Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to score, grab rebounds, and go toe to toe with the opposing team's big man.
Conclusion
Overall, it is what it is. The Lakers are completely "talent-less" with that current roster. They'll compete, but against the more superior teams? They won't have a chance. The Blazers missed a couple of shots that kept the Lakers' door open, but once they make them, you can kiss the game goodbye. But, it is what it is and the Lakers are contempt to position themselves into a top pick as much as possible. A couple more games left, season's almost over. The Lakers have two games against the Clippers, I won't cover the game on Sunday when the Lakers "host" the Clippers, but I will cover the Tuesday game when they're on the "road" against the Clippers. I'll see you guys later.
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