Portland Trail Blazers (3-0) beat Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) 136-129 on the road on Tuesday, October 27. The Lakers led after three quarters, but the Trail Blazers took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 38-32 and a 6-point lead after one. The Trail Blazers cut into the deficit with a 36-35 second quarter, though the Lakers still led by 5 at halftime.
The Trail Blazers won the third 34-30 to stay in front, taking a 1-point lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers took the fourth 34-26; the Trail Blazers completed the comeback for a 136-129 regulation win.
What decided it
The Trail Blazers made 33.3 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 27.5 for the Lakers. The Trail Blazers grabbed 21.9% of their own misses, while the Lakers recovered 16.2%. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Trail Blazers produced 132.5 points per 100 possessions to 125.7 for the Lakers.
The Trail Blazers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 38-21.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 41 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast on 12-22 shooting. His Game Score of 34.9 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
Jrue Holiday led the Trail Blazers with 22 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast on 8-12 shooting, good for a 19.3 Game Score.
Robert Williams III (14 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Trail Blazers entered with about a 31% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 4-3.
The Trail Blazers are now 3-0, and the Lakers are 3-1. The Trail Blazers last five before this game: L-L-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.