The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-93, on Sunday night at Staples Center behind a stellar performance from Portland's point guard Damian Lillard. Lillard finished with 30 points and 13 assists in the victory and was one of five Blazers to score in double figures on the night.
The Lakers also finished with five players scoring in double digits, but LA did not lead at any stage past the first quarter. Kobe Bryant came out shooting well and made three of his first six shots, but the 37-year-old only made one of his next 11 field goal attempts. Ultimately, Bryant would end the night hitting only six of his 22 field goal attempts, which certainly played a significant role in the defeat.
"Transition defense," Lakers coach Byron Scott gave his take on what bothered him most about the loss. "Transition defense is effort, mostly."
The Lakers give up 18 points on fast breaks and only scored two of their own. As veteran Lakers guard Nick Young pointed out after the game, the Lakers have a roster flush with young players, which made the lack of points on the break all the more difficult to explain. As Young put it, "We've got some young players, we're supposed to be out there running and gunning."
Sunday night's game did not please the eyes. At one point, the crowd at Staples Center erupted into a Mexican wave, which is generally reserved for bored crowds at soccer matches. Still, the Lakers managed to stay competitive until the final couple minutes, but this game concluded like most Lakers games this season: with a loss.
Putting on a hat of positivity, Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell played 36 minutes and managed 13 points, six assists and nine rebounds. While his opposite number went off for 30 points, the 19-year-old looked in control and played well for the second consecutive game.
"He's a solid player," Lillard said about Russell after the game. "This early in the season, you're finding your way and that's the process he has to go through. He has to get that experience. He'll be fine. He's a reallly good passer."
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Also, Julius Randle recorded his second consecutive double-double, which is the fourth of his career. Randle finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Blazers and received kind words from former Laker and current Blazer Ed Davis.
"He's going to have a good career," Davis said about Randle. "This is really his rookie year. He's showing a lot: he's rebound the ball; he's defending well; he's scoring. The sky's the limit for him."
As much as the post-game chatter may not have been all down and depressing, the Lakers lost the ballgame and are off to a worst start that the 2014-15 Lakers, a team that finished with the worst record in franchise history.
Next, the lowly, struggling Lakers head to Oakland to play the World Champion Golden State Warriors, a team that has tied the best start to a season in NBA history at 15-0. With a win over the Lakers, the Warriors will make history.
"I've seen stranger things happen," Bryant said about potentially beating the Warriors and avoiding being on the wrong side of history. "We've been playing like $%&#. We might go up there and just play like gangbusters. You never know."
When asked about the Warriors, Scott responded by laughing helplessly. "That's my thought." Then, he added, "They are the best team I've seen in the league, and it's not close."
