E Da Old Tymer

If there was ever a game to miss this season, tonight was the night.  Pre-game shows were reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers (6-2) were set to sit out their starting backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as they were gearing to take the floor at Moda Center Monday night to test their mettle against Shaedon Sharp, Deni Avdija and the Portland Trailblazers (4-3).  I guess the Laker front court of Rui Hachimura and DeAndre Ayton took this challenge personally, combining for an impressive 57 points as the Lakers extended their winning streak, beating the Trailblazers 123-115.

The Lakers, playing their second game in as many nights, were already entering the night’s contest short handed, with LeBron James still out with sciatica. So it was interesting to see exactly where and how this band of unusual suspects would pull out a win.  Nevertheless, Hachimura and Ayton formed a tag team and gave the Trailblazers front court problems, with Hachimura scoring a season-high 28 points, shooting a remarkable 10-15 from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.  DeAndre Ayton wasn’t about be showed up by his fellow teammate and  played his best game by far, leading the Lakers with 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the short-handed squad.

The Trailblazers were looking to collect their third win in a row at the cost of their Western Conference rival.  Star forward Deni Avdija did his part as he picked apart the Lakers defense for 33 points on 50 percent efficiency.  Guard Shaedon Sharpe was also locked , adding 23 points and seven boards but struggled from the beyond the arch, hitting just one of his seven long range attempts.  Jrue Holiday continued his inconsistent play, logging just eight points on 4-11 shooting in 36 minutes of action.  Tourmani Camara contributed 14 points and 7 boards in the losing effort.

The Lakers were more efficient offensively, hitting almost 59 percent of their shots compared to the Trailblazers 49 percent.  While each team connected for nine three-point shots, the Lakers attempted 17 less shots on 39 percent efficiency while the Trailblazers managed to convert on 22 percent of those shots. The Lakers defense was on display, with Marcus Smart leading the effort early in the game including diving for a loose ball that resulted in an open dunk for Jake LaRavia.  LaRavia, getting the nod to start, delivered with 11 points and six dimes.  Dalton Knecht dished out 8 points as well.  Smart would also help on the offensive end, adding 9 points.  The Lakers also received a nice boost from the bench, with Nick Smith, Jr. leading the reserve players with 25 points, outscoring the Trailblazers bench 38-35.  Reserve forward Jerami Grant did his part with 18 points for the losing Trailblazers.

The Lakers will get some much needed rest today as they prepare to host the red-hot San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.