The Revival of LeBron + The Westbrook Buzzer Beater
The Lakers beat Portland.
The LA Lakers won 128-109 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season at Crypto Dotcom Arena in LA on the 1st (Korea Standard Time).
The Lakers led the team to victory with 31 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists by LeBron James, who had been sluggish amid a difficult field game against Indiana just before. Anthony Davis (27 points, 12 rebounds) and Austin Reeves (22 points) were also very active. Russell Westbrook (10 points) broke his opponent’s spirits with a quarter-ending buzzer-beater in the second and third quarters.
Portland, where Damian Lillard’s absence continues, failed to stop the defeat, although Jeremy Grant scored 27 points, Anpani Simons scored 22 and Justice Winslow scored 21 points. With one win and seven losses in the last eight games, Portland lost three consecutive games.
Portland got off to a good start. Portland, which opened the game with Winslow’s three-point shot, pushed the Lakers with Usurf Narcissus and Grant joining forces.
The Lakers, which had been pushed back, changed the atmosphere with Austin Reeves playing. Anthony Davis also scored, narrowing the gap. With the performance of bench units, the Lakers finished the first quarter 24-22.
In the second quarter, there was a fierce firepower battle. LeBron scored for the Lakers in earnest. Davis, who showed his presence on the rebound, also scored one by one.
If Grant and Simons lead the attack, Portland succeeded in reversing with Shaden Sharp’s performance. Then the Lakers faced off with LeBron’s three-point shot and a cheerful dunk. The Lakers, who burst to Westbrook’s stepback buzzerbeater, finished the first half 66-62.
The Lakers’ offensive continued in the third quarter. The Lakers, who operated the outer guns by Reeves and Patrick Beverley, made a three-point shot to LeBron and ran away in an instant. Portland, whose offense and defense were all shaken, fell behind, giving up 10 points in a row.
Since then, the Lakers have maintained their lead width with Thomas Bryant and Kendrick Nun scoring in the bench section. The Lakers, who Westbrook succeeded in a quarter-ending buzzer-beater near the half-line this time, finished the third quarter 97-82.
The Lakers pressured Portland in the fourth quarter with LeBron and Davis showing their presence. LeBron committed a turn-over and seemed to give his opponent an excuse to chase, but immediately recovered with an end-one play.
The gap widened to 18 points as Davis and Reeves scored three-point shots amid LeBron’s game management. Portland chased hard, but the Lakers began to solidify as Davis scored consecutive points. The Lakers, where Davis dominated the last minute of the game, kept the victory safe.
