Damian Lillard scored 41 factors and Jeremi Grant drove for a game-winning layup with three seconds left Sunday because the Portland Path Blazers dealt the Los Angeles Lakers their third defeat to open the NBA season.
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Portland erased an eight-point deficit within the closing 5 minutes and emerged with a 106-104 triumph after Lakers famous person LeBron James missed on the buzzer.
Russell Westbrook missed two late pictures, Lillard draining three-pointers after every miss. That included Lillard’s step-back bounce shot with 12.4 seconds remaining that put Portland up 104-102.
James responded with a dunk to tie it up, however Grant powered previous James to attain in opposition to a helpless Anthony Davis within the paint.
Lillard scored 12 of his factors within the fourth quarter and linked on six of 13 three-point makes an attempt.
“Considered one of our largest strengths in these first three video games has been simply sticking with it, exhibiting lots of resilience and exhibiting belief in one another even after these breakdowns,” Lillard stated.
“We had some miscommunications in each quarter of the sport. I believe the final couple of minutes, as soon as once more, we have been capable of buckle down and present some belief. We have been capable of get stops and never flip the ball over.”
The Lakers hit simply six three-pointers on 33 makes an attempt because the taking pictures struggles which have dogged them early of their first season underneath coach Darvin Ham continued.
James completed with 31 factors. Davis added 22 with 10 rebounds and 6 blocked pictures.
Westbrook, underneath scrutiny after scoring simply two factors in a Thursday loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, completed with 10 factors, six rebounds and 6 assists.
After the sport, James was fast to close down questions from reporters he noticed as soliciting criticism of Westbrook’s late-game decision-making, notably his late failed bounce shot try with 18 seconds left on the shot clock.
“I’m not up right here to do this,” stated James, who stated the Lakers acquired the identical shot alternatives late within the recreation that they’d earlier.
“Simply didn’t make them,” James stated. “(Westbrook) acquired some beauty and wasn’t capable of knock them down. Defensively, we couldn’t get a number of stops in a row. And Dame was Dame down the stretch.”