Lakers fall to 0–3 after 4th quarter loss to Blazers.
The Lakers begin the season 0-3 after a back-and-forth fourth-quarter loss to the Trail Blazers, falling 106-104 after a big stepback three from Damian Lillard gave them the win with three seconds left.
The Lakers responded to their first two games of atrocious shooting with another three-point brick-making performance, going 6-for-33 (18%) from behind the arc.
“We can’t shoot a penny in the ocean, but it hasn’t stopped us from defending,” said LeBron.
In the first two games of the season, the Lakers were the worst three-point shooting team in NBA history in a two-game span, with a minimum of 60 three-point attempts.
The Lakers looked on track to win this game with the proper execution in the final possessions. That execution was derailed by several bad possessions, starting with an open shot and miss by Westbrook for the two-for-one with 30 seconds left.
The next one came after a poor defensive play that featured a stepback three by Lillard and a Jerami Grant lay-in over LeBron and AD to give the Blazers the victory with three seconds left.
Despite the loss, Anthony Davis showed he could be a defensive player of the year candidate, getting six blocks and two steals in an insane defensive outing.
“There’s no way you’re supposed to lose this game." That’s where my frustration comes from,” said Davis.
Davis finished with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 53% from the floor on 9-of-17.
LeBron led the way with a team-high 31 points on 54% (12-for-22) shooting from the floor, adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 37 minutes.
LeBron concluded the game with another underwhelming performance from outside the arc, shooting 22% (2-for-9) overall.
In an 0-for-11 outing in Thursday’s loss to the Clippers, Russell Westbrook’s shooting struggles continued, shooting 27% from the floor Sunday on 4-for-15 overall.
Head coach Darvin Ham says he wished Russell Westbrook “attacked the rim directly” on the missed pull-up jumper with 30 seconds left where Westbrook was looking for a 2-for-1 opportunity.
Westbrook finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 27 minutes.
The Lakers next game will be on the road this Wednesday against the 2–1 Denver Nuggets at 7:00 PM on ESPN & Spectrum SportsNet.
