Lakers struggle to stop Damian Lillard in 107-93 loss to Portland
Lakers forward Brandon Bass can’t prevent Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard from scoring on a layup during a Nov. 22 game at Staples Center.
The Lakers lost their third consecutive game, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, 107-93.
Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers’ All-Star point guard who always seems to terrorize the Lakers, finished with 30 points, 13 assists and five rebounds to lead his team to its second consecutive win at Staples Center.
The Trail Blazers ended a seven-game losing streak Friday against the Clippers. On Sunday, they managed to build a 10-point lead over the home team, holding off a Lakers run that closed the gap to three points with 4:34 left on the clock.
After reserve center Brandon Bass scored five straight points, the Lakers went scoreless until second-year forward Julius Randle hit a layup with about a minute left in the game, and Portland up by 13 points.
Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 19 points. Kobe Bryant scored 18 in 31 minutes, but he missed 16 of 22 shots. Randle finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Rookie D’Angelo Russell, who mildly sprained his left ankle during the game and played through it after a quick trip to the locker room, finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Lou Williams added 14 points off the bench for the Lakers, who shot 36.4% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range (six of 18) and 85.2% from the free-throw line (23 of 27).
Portland shot 49.4%, 32.0% (eight of 25) and 76.5% (13 of 17), respectively. C.J. McCollum scored 19, Mason Plumlee added 17 with 11 rebounds and Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless contributed 10 points apiece.
The Lakers finished with a 23-9 advantage in second-chance points as well as a 15-7 advantage in offensive rebounding. The Blazers dominated fastbreak points, 18-2.
Coach Byron Scott ran a nine-man rotation against Portland, sitting out rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. to give more minutes to guards Russell and Clarkson, who played more than 35 minutes each, while moving Williams out of the reserve point guard role.
The Lakers (2-11) will attempt to stop the Golden State Warriors (15-0) from setting the record for best start to a season in NBA history on Tuesday night on the road. The Trail Blazers (6-9) return home to host the Chicago Bulls (8-4) on Tuesday.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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