Blazers Overcome Lakers in Second-Half Surge
PORTLAND, OR – The Portland Trail Blazers rallied in the second half to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, showcasing improved offensive rebounding and clutch performances from Deni Avdija and Jrue Holiday. The Blazers secured the win despite a poor shooting night from the Lakers, who where without LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
Portland’s offensive rebounding proved pivotal, with the team securing 19 offensive boards that translated into 35 second-chance points – a return to a historically strong element of their offense. The Blazers were up by only 6 points at halftime, despite the Lakers shooting a dismal 1-12 from three-point range in the first half, compared to Portland’s 5-19 (26%) from beyond the arc. L.A. finished the game shooting 7-27 from three.
Deni avdija led the Blazers in scoring with 25 points, hitting 5 of his 8 three-point attempts, consistently answering when the offense stalled. Jrue Holiday also stepped up significantly in the second half, finishing with 24 points on 10-15 shooting, along with 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in 30 minutes.
deandre Ayton, facing his former team, had a relatively quiet performance with 16 points and 8 rebounds in 36 minutes, while also committing 4 fouls in the third period.
In the closing minutes, Portland sealed the victory by aggressively attacking the rim, a shift from previous seasons’ reliance on jump shots and kick-out threes.
The blazers will next face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at 6:00 PM Pacific.
