Luka Doncic Scores 41, but Blazers Hand Lakers Their First Loss

Portland shot 59% from the field and made 18 of 36 threes, dropping the Lakers to 3-1 despite Austin Reaves' 26.

The Portland Trail Blazers gave the Lakers their first loss of the season Tuesday, winning 136-129 at Crypto.com Arena, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Lakers are 3-1 after losing the fourth quarter 34-26, the Los Angeles Times reported. Luka Doncic wasn't the problem. Coming off Sunday's 52 at Utah, he put up 41 with five rebounds and nine assists, according to the Times, while Austin Reaves had 26, with seven assists and four boards. That's 93 points from Doncic in two nights, and the latest 41 came in a loss.

One number explains the loss. The Lakers came in leading the league at 128 points a game, with Portland second at 126, according to the Times. The Lakers beat their own average and still lost by seven, because Portland made 59% of its shots and 18 of its 36 threes, Silver Screen and Roll reported.

Those percentages don't show how often the game stopped, though. Officials called 52 fouls, and the two teams shot 71 free throws between them. For long stretches it was a shootout played at the line.

It was still a one-possession game late. With 42.8 seconds left, Damian Lillard took a pass from Deni Avdija and hit a three that put Portland up six. The Lakers got two more chances at a three and missed both, according to Silver Screen and Roll.

Portland's scoring didn't depend on any one player. Ja Morant and Avdija scored 23 apiece, Jrue Holiday had 22 and Lillard 21, according to the Times. Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick called Portland a playoff team that had "essentially added [Damian] Lillard and Ja Morant," the Times reported. Lillard sat out all of last season after tearing his left Achilles, and Morant arrived by trade from Memphis, according to the Times.

The Lakers had the better first half. Sandro Mamukelashvili hit a three at the halftime buzzer to make it 73-68 and finished with 17 points off the bench. After the break, Portland's shooting turned that five-point lead into a seven-point loss.

The Clippers come next on Wednesday, according to Silver Screen and Roll. That leaves the Lakers one night to work out how a team scores 129 and loses.

Source: Los Angeles Times, retrieved October 28, 2026. Other sources: silverscreenandroll.com.