Deni Avdija had 23 points and nine assists and Ja Morant scored 23 as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 on Tuesday.
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Portland kept its start perfect, posting a 136-129 win over the host Los Angeles Lakers in a matchup of unbeaten teams on Tuesday night.
Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 23 points and nine assists, while Morant also scored 23. Jrue Holiday added 22 points off the bench and Damian Lillard finished with 21 as Portland won its third straight game to open the season.
Portland’s outside shooting played a key role, with Avdija, Lillard and Toumani Camara each making four 3-pointers as the Trail Blazers hit 18 of 36 from behind the arc. Overall, Portland shot 59 per cent.
The Lakers were led by Luka Doncic, who recorded 41 points and nine assists. Austin Reaves added 26 points and seven assists, while Robert Williams III had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Camara contributed 12 for Portland.
Portland maintained a close margin through the final minutes. After Avdija’s trey made it 128-124 with 2:59 left, the Lakers got within one when Williams hit a 3-pointer 23 seconds later.
Morant’s floater put Portland ahead 130-127 at 2:01, and with 1:24 remaining Doncic answered with a short shot to bring Los Angeles within three at 1:06. Lillard then drilled a 3-pointer to give Portland a 135-129 lead with 43.1 seconds left.
After Doncic and Reaves both missed 3-point attempts on the next possession, Holiday split two free throws with 18.3 seconds left to extend Portland’s lead, and the Trail Blazers closed out the win.
Los Angeles briefly pulled away earlier, taking a 79-68 advantage after a 3-pointer by Reaves and a basket by Doncic. Portland responded by scoring 14 of the final 20 points in the third quarter to trail 103-102 entering the fourth, before taking a lead it would not relinquish.
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