Damian Lillard hit a late three-pointer to seal a 136-129 road victory for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, handing the hosts their first defeat of the young season.
Damian Lillard Seals Portland Victory Over Luka Dončić
Luka Dončić scored 41 points, nine assists, and five rebounds for the Lakers. Fresh off a 52-point eruption against the Utah Jazz, the star delivered another masterclass as Los Angeles entered the contest with an unblemished record. Yet Portland matched that firepower through a balanced attack that left Los Angeles scrambling.
Deni Avdija and Ja Morant paced the Trail Blazers with 23 points apiece, while Jrue Holiday sparked the visitors off the bench with 22 points. Portland attacked the paint and spread the floor effectively, connecting on 18 of 36 attempts from beyond the arc. Lillard added 21 points, capped by a decisive step-back triple with 42.8 seconds remaining that pushed the lead to six and put the game out of reach.
3️⃣ Blazers in double figures at the intermissionDeni: 1️⃣2️⃣ PTSJrue: 1️⃣0️⃣ PTSJa: 1️⃣5️⃣ PTS pic.twitter.com/eqS8v0OuUc
Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 16 points for the Lakers. Los Angeles shot 56.2 percent from the field and made 17 of 43 shots from long range.
JJ Redick Faces Fourth-Quarter Rotation Backlash
Dončić rested on the bench as Portland mounted a decisive 11-1 run early in the fourth quarter, turning a narrow deficit into control of the scoreboard. Even after head coach JJ Redick called a timeout to halt the bleeding, Dončić remained seated until the 7:18 mark, drawing sharp backlash from fans and analysts as the lead slipped away.
DAME. TIME.Damian Lillard knocks down his FOURTH three of the game to extend the Blazers' lead 🎯 pic.twitter.com/pmmjkLFsVS
That, L, is on JJ Redick. They’re on a run, a timeout is taken, and you come out of the timeout, and Luka is still on the bench. The run continued.
Redick acknowledged after the final buzzer that his team’s execution faltered during key stretches. We just got broken down a lot
the coach said, pointing to lapses in defensive discipline and personnel coverage as Portland’s backcourt guards sliced through the defense.
Los Angeles Exposes Defensive Vulnerabilities
The Lakers allowed 136 points, gave up 52 points in the paint, and sent Portland to the free-throw line for 41 attempts. Tuesday’s shootout exposed structural flaws.
Meanwhile, Austin Reaves contributed 26 points, but offered a blunt assessment of the team’s defensive output after the loss.
Luka Magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/10IBR3amGQ
Elsewhere on the injury front, Lakers guard Cameron Carr has been sidelined, though he recently returned to practice with their G League team.
Both Teams Return to the Court
The Lakers (3-1) have little time to dwell on the setback, facing the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back. Portland (3-0) returns to the Moda Center on Thursday night to host the Memphis Grizzlies in another early-season matchup of unbeaten teams.
MAMU AT THE BUZZER🚨 pic.twitter.com/sO7sx4SATZ
More on Damian Lillard
🚨 LOS ANGELES LAKERS HISTORYLuka Dončić has recorded his 20th career 40+ point game as a Laker!He becomes just the SIXTH player in franchise history to reach this milestone pic.twitter.com/IiaAMWrglq
"He's doing the Dame Time!” ⌚️Ja could not stop doing his new favorite celly watching Damian Lillard seal Portland’s win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XtUIniz6GJ
Ja, Deni, Jrue, and Dame combined for 89 POINTS in last night's Portland win!Ja: 23 PTSDeni: 23 PTSJrue: 22 PTSDame: 21 PTSThe @trailblazers are 3-0 to start their 2026-27 NBA season 👏 pic.twitter.com/RfQreaRhIT