Lakers rally from 16 down in the second quarter to beat Trail Blazers
Luka Dončić scored 53 points (eight during a 17-0 run in the third quarter, on two 3-pointers and a floater), and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 16 points down in the second quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 for their fourth straight win.
The Lakers trailed 51-35 with 5:48 left in the second quarter. They outscored the Trail Blazers 89-67 the rest of the way.
During clutch time, the Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers 10-1. Dončić (No. 9 in clutch wins added, 2025-26) scored four of the Lakers’ 10 on 1-of-2 shooting and 2 of 2 at the line. Late in the fourth quarter, Austin Reaves had two of his four steals in 59 seconds, the first leading to his own free throws and the second to his own driving dunk.
Reaves had 25 points and four steals, and Walker Kessler added 16 points (14 in the paint) and 12 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting. Reaves scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Trail Blazers, Deni Avdija had 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, and Damian Lillard added 22 points.
The Trail Blazers committed 24 turnovers to the Lakers’ 11. They took 5 of their 70 shots in the paint away from the rim (7%), the lowest share of their season. They had averaged 21%. The Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers 52-32 in the paint. Jake LaRavia fouled out.