Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' 2018-19 season opener at the Portland Trail Blazers where the Blazers spoil the debut of LeBron James in Purple and Gold, beating the Lakers 119-128 to extend their win streak to 16 against them.
So you're telling me, the last guy who lead the Lakers' last win against the Blazers is still Wesley Johnson? I really don't know about this Blazers team. Since Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum emerged as stars in the backcourt for Portland, they've had the Lakers' number. Just when we thought, LeBron's arrival would change things, it hasn't. Well, at least for one game. But, Portland didn't just beat the Lakers again. The Lakers beat themselves with dismal three point shooting and a whole heap of turnovers.
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LeBron James, 26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-16 shooting. Well, let's evaluate LeBron's Laker debut shall we? It is what you expect. The numbers speak for themselves. LeBron did his work in the post and going strong to the cup. The dunk sequence between him and Lillard in the first quarter is something to behold if you're an overall fan of NBA basketball. It felt like an All-Star game during that sequence and luckily, I tuned in at the right time for that as I got home late for the game. But going back, expect these numbers on a consistent basis for LeBron. Definitely, he's going to have a high usage rate playing in the ever-competitive Western Conference. And that's a cause for concern going forward considering his mileage. The six turnovers were a blemish on LeBron's game tonight, which I'll address later, but his debut? It is what you expect.
JaVale McGee, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5-6 shooting. The Rondo-McGee PNR carried over well into the regular season. The Lakers as expected dominated the paint and McGee hovering inside was one of the many reasons. The defensive stats were solid with the three blocks. McGee brings what the Lakers have been lacking: a Center who can block shots on a regular basis and as devastating in finishing off screen and roll situations. He's in for a career year.
Rajon Rondo, 13 points, 11 assists, 6-13 shooting. We're accustomed to pedestrian numbers Rondo, but that represents his all-around game. Based on this game, Rondo is gonna have the edge over Zo at the starting PG position for the time being. He's just a savvy floor general that is a dual threat to score inside or set up plays for an open teammate.
Josh Hart, 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 blocks. Like I said in the preview, the shooting guard position is going to be an interesting position to look out for and Hart just put on the first stamp since KCP's scoring was nowhere to be found. Not to mention, he was the first player to find the stride from behind the arc when the Lakers were 0 for their first 14 on the three-point line. He played solid defense as well. The guy is a natural in putting a body up on players regardless of size.
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3-point shooting. Perhaps this is the biggest blemish on this game. The Lakers finished up shooting 7 of 30 from the field according to NBA.com's stats. No lie, that was the most dismal 3-point shooting I've seen from this team. All 3-point attempts hit nothing but iron until the 3rd quarter. Don't get it twisted, there are players who are capable of hitting the 3-ball on this roster. But, they really lack a true sharpshooter that can knock down threes on a consistent basis. That's when they when their paint game becomes one-dimensional and the Blazers' defense was able to exploit that. Time to insert Svi Mykhailiuk into the rotation maybe.
Turnovers. Oh, the Blazers committed 16 turnovers while the Lakers committed 15. The biggest difference is that the Lakers turn the ball over when they are trailing and need a big bucket. It's been epidemic. But, I'm gonna let this slide because this team has a lot new parts and they're still getting a feel of their roles. If it's epidemic, especially when the Lakers are on the losing end, then it becomes a cause for concern.
Rebounding. Blazers 54 rebounds. Lakers 46 rebounds. Another concern is that even though the Lakers get most of their points in the paint, they are way too finesse and they don't box out on the boards. Portland is not too much of a physical team, but they just outmuscled the Lakers in terms of crashing the boards, especially when the Lakers are in small-ball mode with Kuzma at the 5. The size of the Trail Blzaers acted as a perfect counter-punch. There will be trouble ahead against the more physical teams.
Bench points. Blazers bench 55 points. Lakers 46 points. Nik Stauskas stepped up as the Blazers' third man, leading Portland's 2nd unit. The key to beating this Blazers team is to let Lillard and McCollum have their way, but stop everyone else. And once that third man gets going, they're hard to stop. Stauskas is an underrated player though, he's just been underutilized.
MVP
Let's face, it wouldn't be fair if I continually give this to LeBron with his numbers, so a little rock, paper, scissors here. Among the young core tonight, Hart showed out tonight. Points and defensive stats gave him the edge and not to mention, he was one of the players that got the Lakers' 3-point shooting going even though it was too little too late.
Conclusion
This is why I love that there isn't a lot of panic in the first game in the NBA because that is what it is, just one game. Yes, this loss tampers the Lakers' expectations by a bit. As always, the Western Conference is a bloodbath and it'll be a long-lasting bloodbath with now 81 games left. The Lakers aren't completely out of the picture. They will be competitive. It's just of matter of someone or two on this team outside of LeBron has to perform on a regular basis. And yes, there's still a lot of game left where the Lakers can improve on their weak areas. They'll look to get back on track on their home opener Saturday when they take on the Rockets. I'll probably see you guys for that game. Weekends nowadays are unpredictable for me, but I'll find a way to keep track of the game as usual. See you guys later.
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