The Los Angeles Lakers have been short-handed for a number of games to start this season, and that was the case again on Monday when they traveled north to face the Portland Trail Blazers the day after defeating the Miami Heat at home.
In addition to LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero, who have been out for a while, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both ruled out prior to the opening tip. As a result, it seemed as if the Lakers were up against it versus a young and chippy Portland squad.
But they pounced quickly and got out to a 12-6 lead. Portland bounced back and built a 13-point lead early in the second quarter, but Los Angeles chipped away at that deficit and ended the first half down 53-52.
L.A. showed a tremendous amount of heart and resolve throughout the game, and once again, it had a solid third quarter by outscoring its opponent 38-33 during that frame, thanks to a 17-4 run. Down the stretch, it pulled away by outhustling and outworking the Trail Blazers, allowing it to earn an impressive 123-115 victory.
The Lakers shot 58.8% from the field, which is incredible under any circumstances, but especially given the fact that they didn’t have any of their three stars on the court. They committed seven turnovers in the first quarter, but they took better care of the basketball after that, as they had 10 turnovers from that point on.
Overall, they were not only tough and resilient but also resourceful. Portland used a press defense for much of the game, but the Lakers calmly moved the basketball and got it to the open spots, allowing them to have a very good all-around offensive performance in spite of who they were missing.
They now have a four-game winning streak and a 6-2 record, and they will return home to face Victor Wembanyama and the upstart San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Dalton Knecht: B-minus
Knecht is starting to play better after looking horrid during the preseason and the Las Vegas summer league. On Monday, he made four of his seven shot attempts, although he missed all three of his 3-point attempts, and he finished with eight points, four rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes.
A big reason he’s starting to shoot better is the fact that he’s putting the ball on the court and creating mid-range shots for himself instead of settling for contested treys.
Jake LaRavia: B
On his 24th birthday, LaRavia shot just 1-of-4 from the field in the first half. But he started to warm up afterward and finished 5-of-10 from the field, giving him 11 points. He also contributed five rebounds, six assists and three steals in 36 minutes, and overall, he played fairly good defense.
Marcus Smart: B-minus
Smart was forced into a primary ball-handling role with Doncic and Reaves out of action, and he took it upon himself to shoulder more of the offensive burden early with so many players out for L.A. But while he missed six of his first seven shot attempts and finished 3-of-11 from the field, he contributed in other areas.
He played active defense, which resulted in three steals, and he had five assists, five points and two steals in 32 minutes. He did commit five turnovers, but he’s clearly establishing himself as an X-factor for the Lakers.
Deandre Ayton: A-plus
Against the team he spent the previous two seasons with, Ayton made a statement. He converted 14 of 19 shot attempts to score 29 points, and he also had 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. He did a good job of using his size to his advantage in the paint, not just offensively but also on the boards, and he also hustled for rebounds that he otherwise wouldn’t have come up with.
Rui Hachimura: A
When the Lakers needed a bucket, especially with the shot clock running down, they often went to Hachimura on Monday, and he delivered. He scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, to go along with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
This is the most engaged Hachimura has ever been offensively on a consistent basis as a member of the team. He has done a fantastic job of picking up the slack with so many players out, and the 27-year-old may be making an argument that L.A. should consider keeping him past this season.
Nick Smith Jr.: A-plus
When the Lakers signed Smith, a 21-year-old guard who had been a first-round draft pick in 2023, to a two-way contract in late September, he was considered an afterthought. But he played like a star on Monday.
He went 10-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range, giving him 25 points, and he also dished off six assists while coming up with two steals and one rebound in 27 minutes. He scored eight quick points in the second quarter to bring Los Angeles to within two points, and afterward, he just kept coming at the Trail Blazers.
By late in the third quarter, Smith was oozing confidence out of every pore of his body. He was able to have such an impressive performance even though, as he admitted after the game, he was feeling sick and even vomited at halftime.
If he can duplicate even part of this performance on a consistent basis, he may make a case that he should take at least some of Gabe Vincent’s minutes.
Bronny James: B-minus
It is hard to watch the younger James offensively with all the trouble he has had hitting shots. But against Portland, he made plays in other facets of the game to help the Lakers win.
He assumed a good share of the ball-handling duties during the 19 minutes he was on the court, and he had six assists without committing a single turnover. Early in the fourth quarter, the 21-year-old hit a 3-pointer to put L.A. up 93-88, and he also chipped in one rebound and one steal.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B
Vanderbilt made a solid contribution in 21 minutes. He grabbed four rebounds and also had four points, two assists, one steal and one block.
Jaxson Hayes: B-minus
In 13 minutes, Hayes had four points and three rebounds.
