1st Round Game 2
Game 2 between the Lakers and Blazers
had all the feels of a big game
atmosphere. The Blazers feeling good
stealing game 1 in epic fashion and
shocking the NBA world and their
opponents the Lakers who are the top
seed in the Western Conference. In
tonight’s game these teams sense of
urgency was at a high level from the tip.
In the 1st quarter The Lakers jumped out
to a 16-8 lead early in the quarter that
was ignited by KCP’s two 3 pointers and a
Alley Oop dunk from LeBron assisted by
Anthony Davis.
The Lakers game plan of going to the rim
worked to their advantage. Davis was
able to score 11 points on 5-8 FG to help
the Lakers keep a steady lead. Dame
Lillard added 10 points of his own for the
Blazers to keep the game close. The
Lakers would finish the quarter leading
27-19.
The 2nd quarter started off well for the
Lakers with Lebron getting to the rim and
converting a few layups that a to increase
the lead but the Blazers staying in it with
some sharp shooting from Gary Trent Jr
who knocked down two 2 3 pointers to to
cut the Lakers lead to 37-31 before a TV
timeout.
The Lakers were able to increase the lead
to 11 with AD hitting a short jumper
followed by a deep 3 pointer from Kyle
Kuzma.
The Lakers willingness to take high
percentage shots paid off. AD took
advantage of this and pushed the Lakers
to a 56-39 lead going into the half.
Davis dropped 21 points in the 1st
Half for the 2nd game in a row. Lillard
led the Blazers with 14 points.
The 3rd quarter started off with a bang
for the Lakers with a 10-0 run to increase
the lead 68-41. The Lakers defense
stepped up as well with Javale McGee
swatting shots and grabbing rebounds
relentlessly for a stretch. The AD show
continued with dropping another 10 points
to up his total to 31. The lead would
stretch to 88-58 going into the final
quarter.
Both teams emptied the benches.
Lillard would sit out due to a finger injury
that occurred in the 3rd quarter. The
game would go back and forth with the
clock moving quickly both teams knowing
the outcome had already been settled.
JR Smith made his presence felt with a a
few pretty 3 pointers it was good to see
with his shooting struggles in the bubble
The series is now tied 1-1 with a blowout
win ending the game 111-88.
My 2 Cents
The Lakers did everything that a dominant
team is supposed to by taking high
percentage shots and crashing the boards
on both ends of the floor. The Lakers got
into a rhythm that we had not seen in
months since the stoppage occurred. The
motivation of being down 0-1 was there
and the Lakers answered the bell.
The Lakers out rebounded the Blazers
50-41 also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds
for the game. The outside shot finally
arrived for the Lakers tonight knocking
down 14 triples after struggling badly
throughout their time in the bubble. The
Lakers also made 9-10 from the Free
Throw line. Lakers were close to shooting
over 50 percent finishing the game at 47.8
percent.
AD finished the night with 31 points,11
rebounds, 3 assists,and 2 Blocks to lead
the way. Lebron was a player coach but
his stats weren’t huge in the box score but
huge for the overall win. Lebron finished
the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 7
assists and 2 steals.
The key player to the game though was
KCP who scored 16 points going 4-6 from
the 3 point line and played very tough
defense on both Lillard and CJ McCollum.
The effort sparked the rest of the team to
chip in when the scoring opportunities
where presented to them. The Center
combo of McGee and Dwight Howard
combined for 19 points, 13 rebounds and 1
block. The Bench contributed 41 points
tonight another significant total that led to
the blowout of the Blazers.
The Lakers are not out the woods yet!
Game 3 the Blazers will make adjustments
and bring their best effort the status of
Lillard will be known by game time. The
Lakers look to seize the momentum take
the series lead. In the playoffs Game 3 is
always crucial but not dire in a 1-1 series.
Written By:Pop Dibiase
