Lakers vs. Trail Blazers Final Score: Portland's backcourt sets Lakers afire in 108-96 loss

The Portland Trail Blazers' backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum poured it on the Los Angeles Lakers again in a 108-96 loss. They combined for 57 points, running rampant on the Lakers' poor perimeter defense and lacking rim protection for the second time in three games for L.A..

Jordan Clarkson had a solid game, ending the night with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting. His off-ball defense was an issue at times through the night, but he was one of the only Lakers pushing the pace in transition for fastbreak points. Clarkson looked as comfortable as he has most of the season, continuing to add evidence that his rookie season was no fluke.

In other bright spots, Julius Randle had a good all-around game, hitting his mid-range jumpers early before being sidetracked by foul trouble in the first quarter. He had a little bit of everything going on offense, finish with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. D'Angelo Russell played a team-high 37 minutes en route to 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five assists to go with it.

Kobe Bryant had an up-and-down night. He made just seven of his team-high 20 field-goal attempts for a team-high 21 points, but looked better shooting in rhythm at times. Off-ball screens and movement created a handful of opportunities that looked good within the Lakers' offense, and Al-Farouq Aminu bit on a few of his patented pump fakes to add to his point tally.

The Lakers will immediately return home to face the Indiana Pacers in the second half of their back-to-back. The purple and gold are now on their longest losing streak of the season at five, but the Lakers' youth all showed positive signs. If nothing else, it was one of the better games we've seen from them over the last few weeks, and that's something to be thankful for.