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A late run in the fourth quarter from the Portland Trail Blazers allowed them to stretch beyond the reach of the LA Lakers as they took Game 1 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Damian Lillard was the usual suspect as he made it rain from downtown in the clutch once again.
LeBron James had a triple-double and Anthony Davis added 28 points of his own but the dynamic frontcourt duo couldn't drag the LA Lakers across the finish line. They were given a good run for their money by Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside, as the latter led the Portland Trail Blazers' defensive charge with five blocks on the night.
Without further ado, let us look at five talking points from Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs series between the LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
#5 LA Lakers' shooting woes continue
Bad shooting has been a repetitive theme for the LA Lakers throughout the seeding games and the same was on offer today. While they made the game interesting by getting to the free-throw line a lot, the Lakers still needed to make their open looks at the very least.
Portland Trail Blazers restricted their counterparts to only 35.1% shooting from the field on the night. The issue lies in the fact that the Blazers may have a solid rim presence, but they do not boast of great perimeter defense. And yet Frank Vogel's men managed only a paltry 5-of-32 outing from downtown.
To put things into perspective, Portland had six three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone and that's what channeled their 19-6 run in the last seven minutes of the game to seal the deal. At the end of the day, the numbers do add up so the LA Lakers need to get their scoring game back to its best soon.
#4 Portland Trail Blazers' frontcourt has a huge night
Playing against the LA Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers knew that the likes of Anthony Davis and LeBron James will steamroll to the paint on every possible occasion but Terry Stotts' men pretty much held their own underneath the basket.
Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double in the first quarter itself and finished the night with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside played extended minutes in the absence of Zach Collins and made life difficult for Anthony Davis who shot at only 33% from the field.
The LA Lakers managed to get to the free-throw line a lot against the Portland Trail Blazers but that's a part of the game. Nurkic and Whiteside played with five fouls in the fourth quarter but did just enough to protect the paint and not get thrown out of the contest.
#3 LA Lakers backcourt needs to do more
The biggest threat that the LA Lakers carry is undoubtedly their star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They ran the show against the Portland Trail Blazers as expected while JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard had a decent outing too.
However, getting the ball to the bigs cannot be the LA Lakers' sole identity in big games. The backcourt needs to rise to the occasion as well and provide that scoring lift when either LeBron or AD is not on the field. That wasn't the case at all against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1.
While Alex Caruso made his defensive presence felt, he, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 3-of-21 from downtown which is too mediocre for a side with title aspirations. They also didn't attempt to attack the rim and get to the free-throw line often.
Also read: NBA Injury Report - Rajon Rondo to return soon for LA Lakers
#2 LeBron James makes history with triple-double, but it's not enough
Playoff LeBron was in the zone against the Portland Trail Blazers as he stuffed the stat-sheet with 23 points, 16 assists, and 17 rebounds. With this performance, he became the first player in NBA history to record 20+ points, 15+ assists, and 15+ rebounds in a playoff game.
LeBron James' burst early on in the second quarter allowed the LA Lakers to recover from the 11-point deficit they suffered against the Portland Trail Blazers at the end of the first 12 minutes in the game. His playmaking is off the charts and he dished out some incredible passes underneath the basket to get the offense going. Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers still managed to hold on for the win.
#1 Damian Lillard goes missing in between but comes up clutch yet again
Damian Lillard came up huge for the Portland Trail Blazers yet again. He hit top speed in the first quarter itself, scoring 15 points in the early exchanges of the game as Portland raced to a 16-point lead.
However, Lillard also went quiet for a long stretch during the game. After scoring a bucket at the 4:57 mark in the second quarter, the bubble MVP didn't manage to score a single basket from the field until nearly five minutes had passed in the fourth.
When he did turn up though, he turned up big. Lillard made three treys down the stretch including the one from way outside to give the Portland Trail Blazers the lead with the scores tied at 89 apiece. The Blazers didn't look back from there onwards and held on to upset the LA Lakers.
Also read: 5 Reasons why Portland Trail Blazers will eliminate LA Lakers in NBA Playoffs 2020
