Lakers Dispatch Shorthanded, Scrappy Blazers in 5

Final Score: POR 122 LAL 131 - Lakers Advance 4-1

The NBA resumed today after a couple day suspension of the playoffs in the wake of the teams' boycott this past Wednesday, showing solidarity after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. The Lakers returned to play and locked in business as usual to top the shorthanded Trail Blazers 122-131, completing the "gentleman's sweep" and advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2012.

Crazy week in the NBA, but we're glad that the players convened and agreed to finish the NBA season in the bubble as planned. At the same time, we're aware that some things are bigger than basketball. Politics and social justice aside, the Lakers took care of business tonight. But, credit to the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard is out. They only played a 9-man rotation tonight. However, they still hung in there and didn't lay down without a fight. Respect to them. 

With that said, the Blazers did look like they were going to spoil this close out game. The Lakers got Anthony Davis going early as he scored the first 8 points for the Lakers, but they looked out of rhythm to start. Until LeBron James reentered the game at the 3:59 minute mark, things settled down for the Lakers a little bit. They pulled away a little bit in the third quarter, but the Blazers wouldn't go away. By the time the 4th quarter hit, they had chances to tie or take the lead. CJ McCollum went off for 36 points tonight. Carmelo Anthony turned back the clock with 27 points. He showed that he's still a deadly midrange shooter. Gary Trent Jr. and Anfernee Simons stepped up in lieu of Dame Time. 

Despite this, the Lakers powered their way through. Literally, it was LeBron, AD, and the defense that helped close out this game. In close out games, the teams rely on their stars to show out big and tonight's game was proof. AD topped the scoring charts with 43 points, adding 9 rebounds. As I mentioned previously, he scored the Lakers' first 8 points of the game. He was already in double figures before Q1 ended. LeBron James notched his triple-double with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists and was aggressive as usual. 

The supporting cast struggled offensively, except KCP and Dwight Howard. They had double figure points with 14 and 11 respectively. Alex Caruso had the highest field goal percentage off the bench with 60% on 3 of 5 shooting. But, it was the team defense that carried them. KCP added 3 steals. Caruso notched 4 steals and a block. He was the defensive player of the game tonight. Kyle Kuzma had some key defensive stops despite the horrendous shooting and 5 personal fouls. Let's be honest Melo took Kuz to school for the most part of the game. You can tell, this team fed on the greatness that LeBron and AD displayed tonight. As the 4th quarter winded down, the Blazers just looked gassed. At the 1:56 mark, Blazers coach Terry Stotts waved the white flag, taking all the starters out and calling it a season.

As I mentioned before, respect to the Blazers for not laying down without a fight. Scary at the same time, but the Lakers handled it well to avoid a surprising Game 6 thanks to the two-man powerhouse of the King and the 'Brow and a stifling defense. Now, we look ahead to the next round. It is likely that the Houston Rockets and they're 3-point barrage are next on the list. They'll be another tough opponent, especially with the timely return of Russell Westbrook to take some load off of James Harden. As if Lillard and McCollum were a handful in the backcourt, what more with two former MVPs in that 1 and 2 positions respectively? I'll be watching that Houston-OKC series closely and the 2nd round preview will follow immediately if the Rockets close out in Game 6 on Monday. 

In special closing, I want to acknowledge the NBA for paying tribute to three great men we lost this week. Lute Olson, one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history passed away on Thursday, Clifford Robinson, Trail Blazers legend passing away to cancer today, and of course the gutwrenching news last night on Chadwick Boseman, aka the Black Panther / King T'Challa and his 4-year fight with colon cancer that hasn't been disclosed until his passing. It's crazy we lost these people for three consecutive days this week. Honestly, 2020, this year never ceases to surprise me. It's like each month there's gotta be a tragedy or something that is of significance that negatively affects our society. It also reminds us that cancer is still something of significant issue that predates all of the crazy stuff going on in 2020. And it's something that hits close to home for me having family and friends that lost the good fight to or are currently fighting this incurable ailment. I ask all of our researchers to please, please expedite on a formula for a cure. RIP to everyone mentioned. I'll see you guys later.

Lakers Rout Blazers in Game 2 to Even Up Series

Final: POR 88 LAL 111 - Tied 1-1

Alright, time to talk about this game! The Lakers respond with their backs against the wall early on in this first round matchup. And they do it in a big way, dominating and demoralizing the Blazers in an 88-111 victory to tie the series up and one game a piece.

It's been awhile since I covered a Lakers playoff win. I said in the last recap, the Lakers must treat this game as a "must-win" even if it's early on in the series. This Portland team is a dangerous squad for a first round opponent. Tonight, we saw a well-rounded win. The Lakers turned up the defensive intensity. They were more aggressive offensively. Role players stepped it up. This is just a great way to respond after giving the first game away and to snap a 7-game losing streak in the playoffs for the Purple and Gold.

Anthony Davis is the unanimous MVP for this game. He lead the Lakers with 31 points and 11 rebounds, first player to score 30+ pts and grab 10 rebs in playing under 30 minutes since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Last game, despite the 28-point effort in the loss, AD was inconsistent in the field goal percentage, shooting 8-24 from the field. Tonight, he shot an efficient 13-21. For the most part, AD did work inside the paint with 16 points in the paint at the first half. In the 3rd quarter, his 3-point game got going and helped balloon the Lakers lead to 30 points, which was the largest in this game. 

Second takeaway from this game, the role players stepped it up. Javale McGee got some great looks inside courtesy of the ball movement and court vision from LeBron James. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope showed up to play tonight with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Honestly, it's a love-hate relationship with KCP because he's so streaky. But after dropping a "triple-single" last game, he stepped up as the third option outside of LeBron and AD. LeBron only had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, but he drew a lot of attention to set up teammates nicely for high percentage shots. He was also active defensively with 2 steals.

Speaking of steals, Danny Green leads the Lakers in that category with 4 steals. He still shows value as a defender, but his offense still needs to catch on. Defensively, they put the clamps on Portland's star backcourt tandem. Dame Time was held in check to 18 points. McCollum struggled with 13 points. Dame exited the game in the 3rd quarter with an injury to his index finger. Even if he returned, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. The Blazers are reliant on their backcourt to drop buckets. Tonight was an example of how ineffective the Blazers' offense can get when Dame and CJ are not on their A-game.

Overall, this was a fantastic bounceback win from the Lakers. It's been a theme dating back to the season prior to the suspension, the Lakers are much better when Anthony Davis dominates. LeBron had pedestrian numbers, but he didn't have to be great either, especially when the role players step their game up. Now granted, I still don't like the starting lineup. I still don't like the fact that Dion Waiters is still playing minimal minutes even though he's the Lakers' leading scorer and facilitator off the bench. But, it is what it is. On a side note, it was nice to see J.R. Smith in the rotation and put up buckets, finishing with 11 points. I am thoroughly impressed with this win. It's just a matter if the Lakers can maintain this kind of consistency, especially from the role players as the series shift to Game 3. Lucky for them, they're not playing in front of a rocking Moda Center in Portland. Injuries aside, AD did sustain some minor back and ankle problems this game, but he seemed fine the rest of the way. Damian Lillard's injury to his index figure is something to look out for, which could be a huge break for the Lakers and a tough one for the Blazers. Game 3 is up next on Saturday! I'll see you guys later.

Dame Time, Blazers Spoil Lakers' Playoff Return

Final Score: POR 100 LAL 93 - Trail Blazers lead 1-0

Welcome in to the recap of Game 1 of Lakers playoff basketball. Lakers started slow out of the gate, made a furious comeback, but it wasn't enough to slow down Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and the Portland Trail Blazers as they draw first blood in this playoff matchup.

As I said before, the Blazers will not make this easy. You have a team playing with a sense of urgency since the restart, a team playing better than what they're record shows vs. a team that is still trying to find their way back into the swing of things. First things first, yes this game was a fight to the bitter end. But, when you get into a slow start against this team, they'll make you pay for it eventually. 

For the most part, the first half was a brutal start for the Lakers. Their offensive struggles have been magnified even more this game, which I'll get into later. Up until the 8:27 mark in the 2nd quarter, Lakers showed signs of life. The things that worked this game was that the Lakers dominated the points in the paint and they drew a lot of fouls inside to get to the free throw line. The two-man game of LeBron and AD was on point inside, but outside and in crunch time was a different story. In the first half, Lakers scored 26 points in the paint compared to Portland's 14 points. Bench production was a positive with 25 combined points. Kyle Kuzma lead the way with 14 points off the bench. Portland only plays 3 men off the bench. As I said in the preview, they've play an 8-man rotation in the bubble. This will be the biggest mismatch that the Lakers must exploit in this series.

The negatives, the 3-point shooting is still a major problem. But before I get into that, the Lakers started shooting 20% from the field in the first quarter before getting up to 36% shooting at the half. But the woeful field goal percentage accounts to the 3-points shooting that hasn't been on point during this restart. Tonight, Lakers shot 5/32 from beyond the arc. I thought the corner 3 was Danny Green's sweet spot? He finished 2-8 from three's, but most of his misses came from the corner. Some of them wide open and he missed them. Anthony Davis may have lead in the scoring with 28 points and dominated inside, but he attempted five 3-pointers and missed all of them. LeBron James went 1-5 from downtown, despite a triple-double and so did Kyle Kuzma. Kentavious Caldwell-Poop went 0-5. Alex Caruso went 0-3. Markieff Morris saw extended action off the bench and was the only player that shot 100% from 3-point land. But, that's not saying much.

Missed free throws were also magnified from this game. It was 89-87 in the 4th quarter and the Lakers had two chances from the line to tie the game up behind their superstar duo. LBJ and AD missed both of their attempts and left four points on the table. But, it wouldn't have mattered. Dame Time lived up to his moniker in the 4th quarter and the Blazers close out the game on an 10-4 run. The Blazers had four players in foul trouble this game. But when they backcourt tandem of Lillard and McCollum are firing on a cylinders, they pretty much cancel out Portland's flaws. As I mentioned in the preview, the Blazers' defense is suspect. But tonight, their defense came up big headlined by Hassan Whiteside providing that spark with 5 blocks. A side note I should point out, Dion Waiters only played 1 minute this game even though he has engineered consistent production off the bench since this restart. I don't know how he fell out of the rotation tonight, but I should see him on that floor to spark the offense, especially for Game 2.

I know many of the Laker faithful will sugar coat this 1st game. "It's the first game, we'll be back." "Orlando pulled a stunner over Milwaukee earlier today, don't feel bad." But, there's no sugar coating it. The Lakers will have their work cut out in this series. This is a legit, scary team that they're facing for a first round matchup. And the fact that the offensive struggles are still magnified after 8 seeding games, there is still cause for concern. The Lakers clinched the #1 seed, but they haven't played like one up to this point. You can't expect to outscore this Blazers team by shooting under 40% from the field and chucking up 32 3-point attempts and making just 5 of them. You just can't! We need to see better in Game 2 Thursday night. It's early in the series, but the Lakers have to treat Game 2 as a "must-win." I'll see you guys later.

Lakers Playoff Preview: First Round vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Welcome in to the first ever Lakers playoff preview on this blog. It's been awhile. I've covered the Lakers' playoff runs from 2011-2013, but not exactly in this capacity to where this blog is at now. They always say the road to a championship is never easy. And the Lakers' are running into a legit first round opponent in their return to the postseason: the Portland Trail Blazers, lead by the explosive Damian Lillard.

I'm going to come clean here first. I rooted for Brooklyn on Thursday. Tough miss by Caris Levert on that one and especially heartbreaking for the 8-0 Phoenix Suns. I rooted for the Grizzlies yesterday. But, this matchup seemed inevitable. The Lakers will be facing off against a team that is better than what they're record and seeding shows. 

Though the Lakers took the regular season series over the Blazers 2-1, it wouldn't be a fair assessment considering a lot has happened in the four months since the NBA suspended. Dame, CJ McCollum, Melo, Jusuf Nurkic, this Portland team is a squad that shouldn't be taken lightly. When you look at the Trail Blazers in the bubble, they played with their backs against the wall in every game. While the Lakers were casually strolling through these seeding games, these Blazers were scrapping and clawing to get to the playoffs. Dame Time was a man on a mission, averaging 30 points a game since the restart. They have Nurkic back to strengthen their front court with Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins. Looking at their games, Terry Stotts has been playing an 8-9 man rotation and it has worked for them. Gary Trent has showed up big in the bubble to provide a spark for Portland's 2nd unit.

From a Lakers standpoint, the defense is going to be a point of emphasis in this series. The backcourt is going to have their hands full with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. If there's ever a time where Avery Bradley's defensive presence is going to be missed, it's this series. KCP, Danny Green, Caruso, and Dion Waiters are going to get their work in guarding this tandem. However, while Portland's offense is a well-oiled machine, their defense has been suspect throughout the seeding games. And that's something that the Lakers must exploit with LeBron and AD running the show. 

Dame going off is inevitable. There's nobody that can defend him when he's on a scoring rampage. But, his efforts won't matter if the Lakers can manage to hold down CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, and everyone else. Melo's presence has given this Portland team a third scoring option outside of their back court. Jusuf Nurkic has been a beast inside. While the Lakers have AD, Javale, and Dwight, we can't underestimate Portland's front court with Nurkic, Collins, and Hassan Whiteside coming off the bench for defense and blocks. They will be Portland's X-Factor alongside Gary Trent Jr. providing a scoring spark off the bench. Onto the Lakers' side, without question, Kyle Kuzma will be the X-Factor from here on out. We need to see Kuz in that lineup with the LBJ-AD duo and possess some consistency in scoring and defense.

The Lakers can't afford to be involved in a shootout with the Trail Blazers, especially when they're this hot. You look at the Lakers' offense during these games, it hasn't been pretty. It looked like they don't have their legs under them. LeBron looked old at times. AD had three good games, but was overly passive during these seeding games. Rotations looked discombobulated when you have Frank Vogel fiddling with what works. The three-point shooting was inconsistent. The Lakers better be sharper and they need to be locked in because this Finals road will be a grinder. 

Overall, this matchup has 6-game series written all over it with the potential to be a 7-game series. The Blazers have played more games up to this point and the Lakers must err on the side of caution in the "double-edged sword" of having an extended rest. Like I said, they looked flat at times in the bubble, they can't afford to fall flat as the games do matter now. But, who knows? The Blazers might not have any energy after fighting for their playoff lives throughout. We'll see how this unfolds. Game 1 is on Tuesday. I'll see you guys then and GO LAKERS!

"Dame Time" Torches Lakers Yet Again

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Julius Randle lead all Lakers in scoring, recording a near double-double of 21 points and 9 rebounds to go with 2 steals. But, the Lakers couldn't find an answer for Damian Lillard's 4th quarter explosion as the Blazers beat the Lakers for the 15th straight time 108-103, snapping the five-game winning streak. KCP also recorded near double-double numbers with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Lonzo Ball cooled off with 10 points and 2 steals, Kyle Kuzma added 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, Brook Lopez added 14 points to go with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. I.T. once again lead the 2nd unit with 19 points and 7 dimes.

Final Score: vs. Portland 108-103 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180305/PORLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Orlando (03/07)

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

Another game, another loss to Portland. As a fan, when you have a long losing streak to a team such as the Blazers since Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum came into the spotlight, it gets sickening. I.T.'s missed free throw in the final seconds is a big what-if. Even if he made it, the Lakers need to get a clear shot to go for the tie or win it at the buzzer. We can't completely blame I.T. on the missed free throw because the Lakers, outside of the early 1st quarter start and the 3rd quarter weren't that good. Defensively, they didn't put the clamps on until the 3rd quarter. There should've been more on-ball pressure throughout the game as Dame and McCollum were getting all kinds of open looks. The Lakers were also ice cold to start. The one thing that griped me was that they were rushing all kinds of shots when they ballooned their lead over the Blazers to double digits in the 2nd half. The Lakers tried to go for the knockout blow by playing a little hero ball and it backfired on them and I'm sure Dame was licking his chops that the Lakers were settling for rushed shots from beyond the arc. Credit where it's due, he torched the Lakers defense in the 4th quarter. Lonzo had no answer for him on the defensive end. That's when things turned for the worst for the Lakers and they wound up losing to the Blazers yet again. For the namesake of this blog, Dame to the Lakers is what LaDainian Tomlinson was to the Raiders. They just light it up in crunch time. And if you're a Raider fan like I am, I just brought back memories of those times when LT used to torch the Raiders all those years with the Chargers. Dame is doing the same thing and the last 15 games against this team proved that. I'm afraid to say that as long as he's in his prime, I don't think he's going to let the Blazers concede to the Lakers as long as he's around.

Lakers Losing Streak vs. Blazers Continued Saturday Night

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Kyle Kuzma lead the Lakers in scoring with 18 points to go with 7 rebounds, but the Lakers couldn't snap the losing streak against Portland on Saturday night before Christmas, losing 95-92. Josh Hart filled in for Brandon Ingram, chipping in 11 points. KCP added a near double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds and Lonzo Ball nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jordan Clarkson lead the second unit with 18 points and Julius Randle closely followed with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Portland 95-92 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171223/PORLAL#/recap

Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

The silver lining about this back-to-back set with the Warriors on the road and the Blazers at home is that the Lakers competed their tails off. In the past, they'd lose in hard-fought game and then the next day, they'd get blown out. That wasn't the case here. The Lakers came back to rally, but they came up short in another heartbreaking loss to the Blazers. Lonzo Ball did not follow up from his great shooting performance against the Warriors, but he came up big with the game-tying three and a key defensive play in the final minute of the 4th quarter. Jordan Clarkson bounced back after being non-existent in the Houston and Golden State games. Josh Hart was solid, putting up the same point total from yesterday's game vs. the Timberwolves. Hart showed off his fearless attitude in these last two games including this. The play that hurt here is that the Lakers tried to hit a dagger three as Ball kicked it to Kuzma up 91-92. You could make the argument that Zach Collins, who blocked the shot, probably hit Kuzma on the hand and that's an obvious foul. Looking at it again, Collins got a finger on the ball before he hit Kuzma's hand. Not to mention, referees rarely call a foul in the final seconds of the 4th quarter. The close loss isn't all on that play though. The Blazers were missing Damian Lillard, but C.J. McCollum continued to put up good numbers. The two players who stepped up the most for Portland were Shabazz Napier and Maurice Harkless. Both had 21 points and 22 points respectively. Napier filled in well for Lillard's absence in the back court with McCollum and Harkless ignited the bench for the Blazers with this outing.