And just like that, the Lakers’ attempt to get to 82-0 goes out the window.
It was always going to be difficult for Los Angeles to go undefeated this season, especially with a defense as porous as the one shown on Tuesday. In a game where they shot 56.3 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three, the Lakers allowed Portland to make 59 percent of their shots and half of their 36 shots from three.
But at the same time, it’s not a surprise. All joking aside, a loss was coming and probably soon. The Lakers can learn from this. This is still only the fourth game for a mostly new team. They still have a lot to understand.
So, let’s dive into loss. As always, ratings are based on each player’s expectations. A “B” rating represents that player’s average performance.
21 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls, 3 turnovers, 2-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, -12
A fairly ho-hum game from Thybulle. For those who want to argue about his removal from the starting lineup, a performance like that helps their case.
A common theme is not to overreact to a play. But Thybulle needs to bounce back.
28 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, -3
On the other hand, it was a very good match against Williams. He was active on both ends and made some nifty moves on quick counters to set up his teammates for easier finishes.
32 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 fouls, 4 turnovers, 6-9 FG, 1-4 FT, +3
It was a pretty disappointing first half followed by a decent second half. The focus will be more on his production with Kevon Looney struggling, which isn’t entirely fair to him.
But it also has to be better.
39 minutes, 26 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 fouls, 8-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 6-7 FT, +0
Another consistent and strong game from Reaves, who has made a habit of it so far. It’s gone a bit under the radar because of Luka’s recent outbursts, but Austin is now averaging 26.5 points per game on 63.3% shooting.
The defense wasn’t great though, which will hit him a bit.
36 minutes, 41 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls, 2 turnovers, 12-22 FG, 6-15 3PT, 11-13 FT, +7
Another fantastic game from Luka that wasn’t enough. His shooting remains unmatched in the league. The Blazers resorted to face protection throughout the sequence as he crossed half court and it still didn’t matter.
18 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, -10
If there was ever a night for him to have a good game, this would have been it. With Thybulle struggling, a big appearance from Grimes would have increased the noise to get him going.
Instead, he struggled and denied open shots late in the game. Finding the best role for him off the bench will be one of the challenges of the coming weeks.
24 minutes, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +6
This was by far the best Mamu match of the season. He hit a pair of big threes late in the second, then found himself at the center of a big run in the second half. He aptly closed the match in this one.
19 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals, 4 fouls, 2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT, -10
As good as his season started, he was an outlier. Truly, it was a terrible game.
His four fouls were all frustrating. One was on a Deni Avdija drive to give him two free throws, one was 94 feet from the basket with the player falling out of bounds and with the Blazers in the bonus and the last two were 3-pointers.
Ten free throws on four fouls. Effective, but in the worst way.
13 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 fouls, 3 turnovers, 4-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -8
A strange stat line that doesn’t really tell the whole story. A pair of backdoor cuts where Luka found him for layups kept his stat line from looking much worse.
I’m not going to be too hard on Sexton yet because he didn’t have a pre-season like everyone else.
Initially I wanted to give him credit for going to Mamu to close out the game, but as I wrote these notes I realized that everyone else on the bench had some pretty rough nights.
He at least won his first challenge in this one, even though it was very obvious. But there wasn’t much else to break down. He only played five minutes against Looney, but maybe it’s time to at least try something else.
Tuesday’s DNPs: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Arthur Kaluma, Jarred Vanderbilt
Tuesday’s inactives: Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, AK Okereke, Chris Mañon
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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