Portland Trail Blazers defeat Lakers 136-129 as Luka Doncic scores 41
The Trail Blazers extended their unbeaten start to 3-0 with a 136-129 win over the Lakers, despite Luka Doncic's 41 points for Los Angeles.
Luka Doncic posted 41 points and nine assists for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the team fell 136-129 to the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena, giving the Lakers their first loss of the season. Portland balanced its scoring among several veterans, with Ja Morant and Deni Avdija each contributing 23 points, Jrue Holiday adding 22 and Damian Lillard scoring 21.
The Lakers stayed competitive, with Austin Reaves scoring 26 and Sandro Mamukelashvili adding 17, while Doncic hit six three-pointers and kept Los Angeles within striking distance. In the fourth quarter, Portland built an eight-point lead, and Morant responded with back-to-back mid-range jumpers to restore a five-point advantage. Lillard then hit a three-pointer with 43 seconds left, helping Portland finish on a 15-8 run.
Portland improved to 3-0 under head coach Micah Nori, a start the franchise has achieved only twice in the past 15 years, according to the Associated Press. The Lakers, now 3-1, will travel to face the Clippers on Wednesday, while Portland hosts Memphis on Thursday.