PORTLAND, Ore. — It wasn’t a case of deja vu, because the situation the Lakers were in on Monday night was eerily similar to exactly one week ago.
They were once again down most of their ball-handlers against a stingy Portland Trail Blazers team – with Marcus Smart replacing Austin Reaves (groin soreness) as the team’s primary ball-handler.
But unlike a week ago, when they needed every bit of Reaves’ 41-point performance to make the game competitive, the Lakers weren’t over-reliant on one player in their 123-115 victory at the Moda Center.
It was the steady scoring and interior presences from Deandre Ayton (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (28 points on 10-of-15 shooting) that kept the Lakers’ offense afloat even as the Blazers cranked up their defensive pressure.
It was the defensive playmaking from Smart (three steals to go with five assists and nine points) and Jake LaRavia (11 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals) that helped the Lakers get the timely stops they needed.
And it was two of the Lakers’ young guards – two-way contract signee Nick Smith Jr. (25 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with six assists) and second-year ball-handler Bronny James (six assists, five points) – providing the team with the requisite offensive boost.
And when it looked like the Blazers, who entered Monday on a three-game winning streak, were threatening the Lakers’ own winning streak, Smith was the one who helped the Lakers close out their fourth straight win.
Smith made back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lakers a 117-105 lead with 2½ minutes left.
And immediately after Portland’s timeout, Smith assisted Ayton on a layup to give the Lakers their game-best 14-point lead – an advantage they held for the rest of the game to remain undefeated (4-0) on the road.
The Lakers improved to 6-2 overall with the victory.
Deni Avdija had 33 points and six rebounds to pace the Blazers. Shaedon Sharpe contributed 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Portland, while Jerami Grant scored 18 points off of the bench and Toumani Camara added 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
The Lakers return to Southern California to host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday before kicking off a five-game road trip.
More to come on this story.