It looked risky there for the first quarters, but when the dust settled the Lakers escaped Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers with a 116-108 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. After an excellent exit from Anthony Davis in Game 2, it was LeBron James who led the way in this game with 38 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Davis’ strike is what ultimately sealed the deal, and the Lakers are firmly in control of this series now.
The Blazers, meanwhile, continue to look too heavy to stick to the No.1 seed.
Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony and CJ McCollum gave them 80 points, but the bench only generated eight. . The decision to pitch Hassan Whiteside also didn’t work, as the Blazers were outnumbered by nine points in his minutes. Portland fought well, but with such a lean side, they’re not equipped to keep up with the Lakers right now. Here are the most important results of Laker’s victory.
Playoff LeBron has arrived
The scariest thing for the rest of the NBA isn’t the 38-12-8 line that LeBron James posted in Game 3. It’s that he did it with cruise control. LeBron only played 34 minutes. He jogged through parts of the game, especially when Davis overheated. Missed five free throws. James just played perhaps the best single game a player has had in the playoffs so far … and he wasn’t close to his best.
After scoring just 33 points overall in his first two playoff games, there were real concerns about how LeBron’s playoff top might be. The Lakers need him to be the best player in the world if they hope to win a championship. There was a legitimate fear after the second game that he might not have that kind of game in him anymore.
These fears have been dispelled.
Peak LeBron is still there and when the moment of truth comes, it will be even better than it was on Saturday.
J.R. Smith … why?
The Lakers were beaten for J.R. Smith in literally every game he has played with the team. He is now 11 of 37 off the pitch in purple and gold, and only 6 of 27 if you miss the senseless season finale against the Sacramento Kings. He is a worse defender after nearly two full seasons than he was in his prime. There is no good reason for him to see the floor in the playoffs. Niederrhein-Pokal-Finale: 1.
And the Lakers played in a single-digit game in the fourth quarter.
Frank Vogel shot him quickly after a nasty 3-point foul, but the damage was done. The Lakers were beaten by four points in nine minutes on the ground. The Lakers cannot afford these blunt mistakes. Smith is no longer an NBA caliber player. Playing it only undermines everything experienced members of their rotation do when they are on the floor.
Blazers have no room for error
Blazers don’t have enough playable bodies to survive this series. Sometimes they tried to get away with Wenyen Gabriel and Mario Hezonja, but the Blazers were killed in their minutes. Gary Trent Jr. is the only player on the bench who consistently contributes a lot to anything, but was pulled miserably in this series after a scorching run through the bubble. Hassan Whiteside’s flaws remain present as ever and are compounded when playing alongside another center.
It is not their fault. Injuries have ruined Portland’s broken hopes, and it’s disappointing. It could have been a much more competitive series with the Blazers at their peak, but for now picking them to win more games in this series seems irresponsible when they only have five players still productive.
Big Night. : 38 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast: 29 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast
— Los Angeles Lakers ()
HIGHLIGHTS | goes off for 38 points, 12 boards and 8 dimes to take the series lead.
— Los Angeles Lakers ()
Diplômé en CS et travaillant avec plusieurs chaînes de nouvelles, j’ai travaillé comme présentateur de nouvelles enregistré avec mynewswatchtimesng.com au cabinet Wanquetin Home Based Office. Je conjugue travail et plaisir dans la rédaction d’articles et travaille actuellement en tant qu’expert de l’actualité technologique chez Ramsay General de Santé.
Leave a Reply