The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled ahead in their opening round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. After the Blazers won Game 1, the Lakers have picked up wins in each of the last two, including Saturday night’s main event. Behind the team’s standout 1-2 punch of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, L.A. came out on top, 116-108.
Was it always easy? Absolutely not — Portland, particularly its backcourt, put up one heck of a fight. But the Lakers were ultimately too much, reminding everyone why they were the 1-seed in the Western Conference. Here are three takeaways from the performance.
LeBron James: The Maestro
Imagine, for a moment, ever being as in control of something is LeBron James is a basketball game. James has not always quite looked like himself in the Bubble, but on Saturday night, James had one of the best games that he’s had during this entire weird project in Disney.
James was a colossus on Saturday night. His 38 points were the most that he has registered so far in the Bubble, and he accrued 12 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. While eight turnovers left plenty to be desired, as did his 12-for-17 mark from the free throw line, he still made the Lakers better far more often than he did anything else.
The important thing, though, is that LeBron James was LeBron James. He was not outgunned by Damian Lillard, and the Lakers did not look like they were being led by a person who is 36 years old. Anthony Davis being on the Lakers means that James does not need to be at his absolute best every single night — there is something of a margin for error with him, and when Davis is able to pull his weight, James can afford to be just a tiny bit off, because just a tiny bit off for LeBron James means he is still putting forth a superstar performance.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday. He was LeBron the all-time great, the guy with a case for being the greatest basketball player to ever live.
Anthony Davis Came Alive
Anthony Davis had a really, really not impressive first half. Davis is one of the most imposing players in the NBA, and yet by the time the two teams entered the locker room at the conclusion of the second quarter, Davis had six points and five rebounds. He showed of the some impression distribution, but it wasn’t the kind of dominant performance that Davis is capable of producing.
Then, the second half started, and Davis was magnificent. By the time the game concluded and the Lakers found themselves on top, Davis had scored 27 points, hauled in 11 rebounds, and doled out five assists. For good measure, he blocked three shots and registered a pair of steals. He did not hit any shots from three, and his free throw shooting left plenty to be desired (5-for-12 on the night), but on the whole, he bounced back from a suboptimal first half and put forth quite the performance.
Any plan that the Lakers have to win a championship this year requires Davis being at his best in 16 wins this postseason. That was not the case early on in the game, but great players find ways to make their impacts felt on games even when they have a rough stretch. Like a relief pitcher, sometimes you just need to have a short memory and be able to figure out how to work past the mistakes that occur when you are not at your best. Davis did that, and as a result, the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in this series.
Portland’s Bench Needs To Do Something
Damian Lillard (34 points, seven assists, five rebounds) was great. C.J. McCollum (28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals) was great. And in the third quarter, Carmelo Anthony (20 points, six rebounds, four steals) caught fire. As for the rest of the Blazers, things could have gone a bit better.
Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside both battled, but their combined numbers on the night: 18 points, 15 rebounds, one block, 7-for-15 shooting. They were ok, but if Portland wants to win, they need to be better than that. But what the team really needs is for their bench to give them a whole lot more than what they gave on Saturday night.
Terry Stotts used four players of the bench: Wenyen Gabriel, Mario Hezonja, Anfernee Simons, and Gary Trent Jr. That group more or less gave Portland nothing. Trent had a pair of shots, while Hezonja hit one, and that was basically it. The Blazers have long been a team that was always going to be carried by what their starters can do, particularly their superstar guard combination. That doesn’t mean they can afford to get nothing from the bench — think, during the seeding games, of how much better Portland looked when Trent caught fire from deep. He obviously doesn’t need to do that every game, but being able to give them that extra floor spacing is huge. As for the rest of the group, they have to find ways to have any sort of positive contributions in the minutes they have. On Saturday night, that was not the case.