The Portland Trail Blazers practically couldn’t help but play better Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers than they did during Friday night’s 42-point loss to the Utah Jazz.
And the Blazers did. But not nearly well enough to avoid losing 107-98 to a Lakers team playing without LeBron James (foot soreness).
It was indeed a roller-coast night for the Blazers. The highs came in the first and third quarters that they won by a combined 57-40. The deep-dive lows were found in the second and fourth quarters, lost 67-41.
“I thought we got off to a good start and then we kind of fell off a little bit,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters.
The only Blazers player to shine was center Deandre Ayton, who recorded 14 points with a season-high 19 rebounds but fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Jerami Grant went 1 of 12 from the field for three points. Anfernee Simons went 1 of 6 from three-point range while scoring 14. Shaedon Sharpe scored 19 points, but six came in the fourth quarter after the Blazers were down big.
The Blazers jumped out fast and led 28-22 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Lakers went on a 15-0 run to go up 42-35. Los Angeles continued its onslaught until it led 59-45 at halftime.
“We had a tough quarter,” Billups said of the second. “Couldn’t make a shot, couldn’t get a stop. They opened up the game. That was a very disappointing quarter for us.”
Statistically, the Lakers' main clear advantage to that point came at the free-throw line, where they made 13 of 14, while the Blazers went 3 of 4.
The Blazers got their offense going again in the third quarter by clamping down defensively. The Lakers shot 35% in the quarter and 1 of 9 from three-point range.
The quarter ended with Blazers guard Scoot Henderson making a shot just beyond halfcourt at the buzzer to reduce the Lakers’ lead to 77-74 entering the fourth quarter.
“I thought we came up with the right intensity in the third quarter, did a good job,” Billups said.
Toumani Camara
Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell, right, dribbles past Portland Trail Blazers' forward Toumani Camara, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) APAP
The Blazers, who limited turnovers to five in the first half, became ultra sloppy in the fourth quarter, committing seven. Portland ended the night with 18 turnovers that led to 26 points for the Lakers. The Blazers scored 14 points off of Los Angeles’ 11 turnovers.
A lack of three-point shooting also hurt Portland’s chances. The Blazers shot 9 of 36 on threes (35%), while the Lakers shot 38.2%.
Grant, Simons and Sharpe combine to make just 4 of 19 three-point shots.
“It makes it tough to compete on the road,” Billups said.
Center Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Guard D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score 28 points with 14 assists.
“We couldn’t control D-Lo,” Billups said.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Blazers (8-16) find themselves in a free fall after briefly overachieving. They’ve lost eight of 10 since winning three consecutive games.
The Lakers (13-11) ended a three-game losing streak.
CAMARA AND HENDERSON RETURN
Henderson returned after missing four games, while Toumani Camara started after exiting Friday night’s loss to the Utah Jazz with an injured foot in the first quarter.
Henderson scored 13 points off the bench but committed three turnovers in 21 minutes.
Camara had eight points with five rebounds in 30 minutes.
NEXT UP
The Blazers host the San Antonio Spurs (12-12) at 7 p.m. Friday.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (X), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)