Saturday, August 22 – 5:30 p.m. PT
Blazers injuries: Rodney Hood (out), Trevor Ariza (out), Caleb Swanigan (out), Zach Collins (out), Nassir Little (out)
Lakers injuries: Avery Bradley (excluded), Raond Rondo (doubtful)
How can you watch TV? ABC (or watch Fubo for your streaming needs)
Radio: 620 AM
SBN Affiliate: Silver screen and roll
The Portland Trail Blazers pulled in Game 3 to heal their wounds after suffering their worst loss in the Orlando bubble. The Los Angeles Lakers held Portland to their lowest score since December 2018 at a beat of 111-88. Damian Lillard led the way for Portland with 18 points, but made just one of his seven three-point attempts. Lillard left the game in the third quarter with a loose finger on his left hand. Lillard is expected to play in Game 3, but will wear a splinter.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 31 points and 11 rebounds. The totals did not differ much other than his 28-point, 11-rebound performance in Game 1, but he was much more aggressive and efficient and did not make himself for jumpers. Los Angeles defeated Portland in almost every aspect of Game 2. The only upside for Portland from Thursday’s game was that Terry Stotts was able to rest the starters in the fourth quarter.
What to see
- Shoot three points. The Blazers were one of the best three-point shooting teams in boiling play, hitting more than 15 threes a game while shooting 41.4 percent. The Lakers were the worst, making less than 10 tries and shooting just 30 percent. That advantage was reversed on Thursday, as Portland made just eight tries on 27.6 percent shooting, while Los Angeles shot 14 on 36.8 percent. Part of Portland’s struggle can be attributed to the Laker defense. They kept Portland below 30 percent on the way through the fourth quarter of Game 1 before Portland signed it to end that game at 38 percent. The Blazers need to find a way to get good looks from outside the arc and knock them down. They will have a hard time defeating the Lakers if they can not shoot LA from three.
- Toughness inside. While the Lakers selected Portland from the field on Thursday, they rely on dominance from within. Half of LA’s points have come in the paint in the series, the highest mark in the playoffs. The Blazers need to do a better job of crashing the defensive boards. They allowed 17 and 15 offensive rebounds, respectively, in games 1 and 2. On Thursday, the Lakers turned those extra possessions into 20 points with second chances. Portland does not have to outsource the Lakers to win the series, but they can not make things easier by giving up extra possessions.
- Who will step up? The Lakers focus their defensive attention right on limiting Damian Lillard’s score. Portland has to pay them by getting someone else to fight. Through the games in Orlando, the Blazers have seen great scoring games from CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, Jusuf Nurkic, and Gary Trent Jr., but none of these have been effective against the Lakers so far. McCollum has shot 13 of 36 (38.9 percent) in the series. Anthony is 4 out of 17 (23.5 percent), Nurkic is 8 out of 21 (38.1 percent), and Trent Jr. is 5 out of 15 (33.3 percent). The Blazers need one or more of their other scorers to continue if they want to get back on track in Game 3.
What they say
Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll explores the bounceback of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Game 2:
[W]hen Caldwell-Pope is the one who pays the defense for sending extra bodies to James and Davis, he will get the credit for all the other things he does to help his team also from the energy that he brings to the way he chases opponent against defensive.
“I’m really happy for KCP,” [coach Frank] Vogel said. “He played both games extremely well. Game 2 he shot the ball well. Game 1 he did not. But both games he played really well. He’s an enormous part of what we’ve done, he makes us think ‘play harder than our opponent’. He was great last night. ”
Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer wonders if LeBron’s age shows:
Maybe this is nothing. Maybe LeBron is just saving himself for a long playoff run. The chances are high that he will eventually explode for a game of 30- or 40 points against a defense as bad as the Blazers’.
But he is also no. 8 all time in career minutes (48,551) and no. 1 among active players. Vince Carter was no. 2 before retiring at the end of the season. Pau Gasol (No. 3) may be right behind him.
In his 17th season, LeBron is still big and talented enough to dominate without being the best athlete on the floor. He became the first player in NBA history to score at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a playoff game in Game 1. But the Lakers may still be able to make some concessions after his age, because the level of the competition down takes line in the playoffs.
USA Today’s Mark Medina wrote about the relationship between Anthony Davis and LeBron James:
“I was really approaching myself after game 1. I did not feel like I was performing up to the level I needed,” Davis said. “(LeBron) let me get my moment and kind of on myself and then he talks to me.”
What did James say?
‘He said I was fine. He said it was one game and as someone who has won multiple championships and been in these situations before, he knows what to expect, “said Davis.” He knew what to expect from his teammates and he was just there for me to encourage myself and keep me straight. Because it was just one game. “
