Portland Trail Blazers hold on to beat Los Angeles Lakers 106-101 as fans return to Moda Center: Game rewind
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The Portland Trail Blazers held on for a 106-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at the Moda Center on the first night the Blazers have been allowed to have fans this season.
About 1,900 were in attendance to watch the sixth-place Blazers (38-29) take a one-game lead over the seventh-place Lakers (37-30) in the race for an outright berth into the Western Conference playoffs.
Portland now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lakers, who were without LeBron James, after winning the season series 2-1.
The Blazers remain one game behind fifth-place Dallas (39-28). The Mavericks on Friday defeated Cleveland, 110-90.
The Blazers have now won six out of their last seven games with five games remaining in the regular season.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” CJ McCollum said. “Five games left to tighten some things up as we get close to the playoffs.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Damian Lillard scored 12 points while playing the entire first quarter and the Blazers took a 34-22 lead into the second quarter. The Lakers won the second quarter 33-25, thanks mostly to 11 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Still, the Blazers led 59-55 at halftime.
The third quarter went back and forth and ended with the Blazers leading 82-78. Anthony Davis scored 12 points in the quarter, while Lillard poured in nine.
The Blazers began the fourth quarter with baskets from Norman Powell and Enes Kanter to lead 86-78.
The Lakers on several occasions could have folded but kept fighting back in what had the feel of a playoff game.
“I thought there was some urgency to the game by both teams,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said.
The score stood at 94-90 before Lillard hit a deep three to extend the Blazers’ lead to 97-90 with 3:51 remaining. The Lakers called a timeout but failed to score after talking things over, and then McCollum made a three to give the Blazers a 100-90 lead with 2:47 on the clock.
Davis then proceeded to score five free throws and a follow-up layup, and the Blazers led just 100-97 with 1:10 to go.
The Lakers got yet another stop, but Kyle Kuzma missed what would have been a game-tying three.
Lillard got the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws, and the Blazers led 102-97 with 39.6 seconds left.
McCollum and Lillard combined to make four more free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT
Lillard scored 38 points on 12 of 18 shooting and made 5 of 9 threes. He also had seven assists.
Davis made 12 of 23 shots to finish with 36 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
“You expect them to play through him,” Stotts said of Davis. “He delivered.”
But it wasn’t easy. Robert Covington spent most of the game guarding Davis, who despite his strong numbers, finished with a +/- of minus-11.
“I thought we made him work and the most important thing is we got a win,” Stotts said.
SHOWED UP AND FIZZLED
Covington went 1 of 10 from the field for three points but did have eight rebounds.
Anfernee Simons and Carmelo Anthony combined to go 2 of 7 from the field for five points.
Kuzma went 2 of 11 from the field for the Lakers and finished with four points.
NEXT UP (Blazers schedule)
The Blazers play Saturday at home against San Antonio and then host Houston on Monday.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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