Luka Dončić scored 41 points, but the Portland Trail Blazers topped the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.
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The Portland Trail Blazers handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the season, winning 136-129 in a high-scoring game at Crypto.com Arena.
Portland broke a back-and-forth contest in the decisive fourth quarter, finishing with a 34-26 advantage in the period. The Lakers scored 128 points per game on average entering the matchup, while Portland entered at 126.
Dončić, coming off a 52-point game at Utah on Sunday, led the Lakers with 41 points along with nine assists and five rebounds. Austin Reaves added 26 points, seven assists and four rebounds for Los Angeles.
For Portland, Damian Lillard scored 21 points and Ja Morant finished with 23. Jrue Holiday had 22 points and Deni Avdija also scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers.
Late in the fourth, Lillard hit a three-pointer off a pass from Avdija to give Portland a six-point lead with 42.8 seconds remaining, a margin the Lakers couldn’t overcome.
Sandro Mamukelashvili hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 73-68 lead at halftime. Lakers coach JJ Redick said the main focus for Los Angeles would be getting back and setting its defence, pointing to Portland’s ability to drive and create scoring chances.
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