Two nights after blowing a 17-point lead and losing at the buzzer to the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t take any chances against the Portland Trail Blazers.
After a slow start that saw them fall behind, 17-6, the Lakers got themselves going by hitting the boards, especially the offensive boards. They took a 24-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
This time, when they took a big lead late, they maintained their urgency and continued to play with pace, and the result was a 128-109 rout of Portland.
Los Angeles will head out for a challenging six-game road trip that starts on Friday versus Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.