When the Los Angeles Lakers started Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers down 7-0, the magic eight-ball said "outlook not so good."
The Lakers eventually managed to score a basket in Portand, but the closest they would come would be trailing 10-9 less than five minutes into the game. The Lakers never led in the game.
Despite playing a clean game committing zero turnovers in the first quarter, the Lakers trailed by eight. By halftime, Nick Young appeared to have emerged from his shooting slump to the tune of seven points and 3-4 from inside the three-point line. In all, six Lakers had at least six points at the intermission with Wayne Ellingotn leading the way with nine points.
Still, the Lakers trailed by eight points entering the locker room.
Portland's early lead derived from the Blazers getting Wesley Mathews and Damian Lillard going early. Portland's starting back court had 22 points, four assists and five rebounds by the half.
In the third quarter, though, the Blazers would burn all Laker hopes of stealing Wednesday's game. Mathews and Lillard would shift into an even higher gear and combine for 14 points and seven assists in the third quarter alone. LaMarcus Aldridge also added 10 points in the period to provide the Blazers with a 23-point lead entering the final 12 minutes.
As if losing big on the scoreboard did not hurt enough, Young went off the court in pain. After examination in the locker room, word arrived that the 29-year-old had suffered a peroneal tendon strain. He would not return.
For all intents and purposes, the game had already ended. Twelve minutes away from vacation and trailing big, the final quarter became academic. Blazers' All-Stars Lillard and Aldridge did not even play in the final period. Six minutes away from vacation, the Lakers still trailed by 20 points.
When the final buzzer sounded, the final score read 102-86. After 53 games, the Lakers had just lost their 40th game.
Notes: Clarkson finished as the Lakers' leading scorer with 17 points. Ellington finished with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Robert Sacre had one of his better performances of the season and finished with 12 points. Wesley Johnson finished with 12 points. Ed Davis led the team with 11 rebounds to go along with his eight points in 24 minutes. The Lakers have lost six games in a row.
