Silver Screen and Roll - Lakers vs. Blazers: 10/31/2012A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysishttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/13178/silver-fave.jpg2012-11-01T07:03:03-07:00http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/rss/stream/33484612012-11-01T07:03:03-07:002012-11-01T07:03:03-07:00Video Highlights: Lakers vs. Trail Blazers
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<figcaption>Jaime Valdez-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Highlights of the Lakers' loss to the Blazers last night, featuring a fired up Rose Garden crowd. </p> <p>The Blazers took it to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> last night in their season opener. <span>Damian Lillard</span> had a nice debut and keyed Portland's victory with his pick-and-roll execution. <span>Dwight Howard</span> had a very strong effort for the Lakers, throwing up 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and <span>Kobe Bryant</span> also had 30 points. But it wasn't enough to overcome another poor defensive effort by Los Angeles. <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gWSqiUEoi-0" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>My apologies if that <span>Sasha Pavlovic</span> three made you vomit.</p>
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/11/1/3585256/video-highlights-los-angeles-lakers-vs-portland-trail-blazers-10-31-12Mark Travis2012-11-01T06:20:03-07:002012-11-01T06:20:03-07:00Portland Pestilence
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<figcaption>Jaime Valdez-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The new look Lakers couldn't secure a win in the Rose Garden against a young Blazers squad, continuing a horrifying Laker trend on Halloween night. </p> <p>So, who had the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> 0-2 to start this thing?</p>
<p>After their embarrassing performance against Dallas in the season opener, a sure bet would have been for this veteran Laker squad to go into Portland against a Blazers team that will contend for a lottery pick and assert their dominance, essentially admitting that they didn't take the Mavs seriously and that their opening day loss was an aberration.</p>
<p>Instead, despite an improved offensive effort, the Lakers somehow managed to play worse defensively and compounded their poor defensive effort by turning the ball over at an absurd rate. As they did against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a>, Los Angeles allowed the Blazers to stay in the game early, and once a team starts to thinking "hey, we can beat these guys," they start playing loose and with a ton of confidence. Meanwhile, with every <span>J.J. Hickson</span> jumper and errant pass, the Lakers get tighter and tighter and start to lose all of their rhythm on the offensive end.</p>
<p>The Mavericks and the Blazers both hit some really tough shots against the Lakers, which may make their offensive numbers seem like a fluke, but those kind of baskets are a byproduct of Los Angeles allowing them to get comfortable and to start playing freely. It's the opposite story for the Lakers, who have yet to get into a comfort zone this season and, as a result, just about the only player that has been getting good looks in their rhythm is <span>Pau Gasol</span>, and that's largely because defenses are choosing the lesser of several evils by letting Pau have the mid-range jumper.</p>
<p>Los Angeles' defense, specifically on pick-and-roll, has been the biggest factor in their 0-2 start. It's also not a coincidence that LA's defense is the part of the game most impacted by <span>Dwight Howard</span> not being back to his normal self. You can expect things to greatly improve once a fully mobile Howard is ready for actions, but what is concerning is that the Lakers don't seem to know how they want to guard the pick-and-roll. It'd be one thing if Howard was being beaten to the rim on every play because his timing is off, but the Lakers' failures on defense are also scheme related. <span>Mike Brown</span> is supposedly a defensive coach, so his inability to make pick-and-roll adjustments, which we saw all of last season, too, makes you scratch your head.</p>
<p>According to Synergy Sports Technology, of the 16 teams that have defended at least 10 pick-and-roll plays finished by the ball handler this season, the Lakers have given up the third most points per possession in basketball. The only two teams behind them are the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Celtics</a> and that's because they both went bananas offensively on opening night. The Lakers have had 32 pick-and-roll plays finished by the ball handler against them this season and those ball handlers (mostly <span>Darren Collison</span> and <span>Damian Lillard</span>) have scored on 50% of those possessions. Also of concern is that the Lakers have only forced turnovers on 9.4% of those possessions, which is another trend we saw last season.</p>
<p>Despite playing an out of control game, Lillard was crucial in Portland's victory. The majority of their offense came through Lillard pick-and-rolls, and Lillard produced by getting into the paint, drawing fouls, hitting some crazy fadeaway shots and, most damning of all, finding wide open shooters (he had 11 assists).</p>
<p>The Lakers have no answers for quick guards once they turn the corner, especially with Dwight not at 100%, which compromises their defense, and the Blazers made the Lakers pay for their step slow rotations with good three-point shooting. It also seemed like whenever the Lakers were about to get a key stop, J.J. Hickson would slip into the paint behind Dwight and Pau and grab an offensive rebound. LA's defense was out of whack in every way last night and that was against a team with only one perimeter playmaker. Needless to say, if they keep this up, they'll never reach their potential.</p>
<p>What was amazing about last night is that the Lakers essentially matched the Blazers in field goal percentage (50% shooting to Portland's 51%), three-point shooting (44% to 45%) and free throw shooting (81% to 82%). The difference was Los Angeles' 24 turnovers (Portland had 12) and the easy baskets that those turnovers created for the Blazers got the Rose Garden bouncing and the players going. And the crowd certainly was a factor during the second half. Once Sasha Pavlovic went on his his personal 7-0 run during the third quarter to increase a five point lead to 12 in less than 40 seconds of gametime, the crowd went nuts and the Lakers started to force things (right after Pavlovic hit that three, Dwight was called for an offensive foul, swinging the momentum even more).</p>
<p>The positive takeaway from this game is how Kobe and Dwight played offensively. They combined to score 63 points (Howard had 33 and Bryant had 30) and found a good mix in terms of touches. Bryant was a turnover machine (he coughed the ball up seven times) but I still like the shots he got and he seems to have an improved deep stroke. Howard had an awesome offensively, grabbing six offensive rebounds (14 total) and dishing out five assists in addition to his 33 points. He finished off 15 plays in the post last night, shooting 6-of-10 from the block while drawing five fouls and only committing one turnover. Howard also found his rhythm at the line, converting 15 of his 19 free throws last night.</p>
<p>The injury to <span>Steve Nash</span> is obviously concerning, as it seemed like he was a bit more aggressive in this game before he got hurt, and I'm sure he would have made a big difference in the second half if he had played. It didn't look serious and let's hope that it isn't, but if he needs time to let his leg heal, I'd have no problem letting him rest on Friday night (<a href="http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3584264/nba-lakers-steve-nash-injury-lower-left-leg-contusion-portland-trailblazers/in/3348461">he is currently hopeful that he will play</a>).</p>
<p>This was a better effort by the Lakers, at least offensively, but they have yet to put together a complete game (or play a single bit of defense). This team does deserve your patience, but nobody's blaming you if you're infuriated by the way they have started the season.</p>
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/11/1/3584862/portland-pestilenceMark Travis2012-10-31T23:38:03-07:002012-10-31T23:38:03-07:00Lakers Final Score: Blazers Down Lakers, 116-106
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Dwight Howard's powerful offensive night can't make up for turnovers and defensive sloppiness in a 116-106 Lake Show loss.</p> <p>A growing sense of crisis grips Lakerdom tonight following another grim performance by the purple and gold. In Portland to face a Trail Blazers team that few expect to contend for a playoff spot this year, the Lakers played as poorly as they did in their ill-fated opener and fell by the misleadingly small margin of 10 points. The final score was 116 to 106, but the Blazers led by 19 with less than five minutes to play in the fourth, giving a truer indication of their dominance in this one. It was a troubling night that raises a lot of questions about how long it's gone it's going to take this Lakers team to come together.</p>
<p>For the most part the Lakers' offense played much better than it did against Dallas. Dwight Howard's 33 points led a pretty sharp attack that averaged 1.15 points per trip. Dwight still doesn't have his usual vertical burst but he played more decisively and aggressively in the post, making quick moves to the hole against J.J. Hickson and Meyers Leonard. He earned himself 19 free-throw attempts and somehow got 15 of them to drop. He also had half a dozen offensive boards, leading to nine second-chance points. This is all encouraging. Not that Portland's a great defensive team or anything, but the improvement in Dwight's offensive game seems to be on pace.</p>
<p>He and teammates, though, were wildly careless with the basketball. <i>Twenty-five turnovers</i>, over half by the tandem of Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace, kept them from ever putting together a big, game-swinging run and allowed the Blazers to score frequently on easy looks in transition. It didn't help that Steve Nash had to leave the game early in the third quarter after he banged his shin against Damian Lillard. Supposedly the injury isn't serious, but Nash was just starting to find a playmaking groove when the injury occurred. In his stead Steve Blake was decidedly low-impact.</p>
<p>The offense made a little progress tonight, but the defense, if anything, took a step backward. The insane numbers Portland put up (1.27 points per possession, 61% true shooting) are partly explained by the Lakers' turnover difficulties on offense and by some great outside shooting by the Blazers. Effort, scheme and execution, however, all need a whole lot of improvement. Lillard (23 points, 11 assists) had way too easy a time working his way into the teeth of the defense and finding open shooters. Pau Gasol struggled to handle LaMarcus Aldridge (19 points). Nicolas Batum (26 points) tortured the Lakers from the outside, in transition and on the offensive glass. At one point Sasha Pavlovic rebounded his own free-throw miss and converted an easy lay-in as five Lakers stared at him. I'm not a highly compensated defensive guru like Mike Brown but I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen.</p>
<p>The Lakers now return to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Friday and the Pistons on Sunday. At the moment they're not even close to playing at a championship level. The notion that Laker fans are "panicking" I think is inaccurate. There are always a few knee-jerkers, of course, but most fans seem to understand the challenges Mike Brown confronts in trying to mold a reworked roster into something great. Still, dissatisfaction with the early returns is severe and justified. The Lakers have been trounced by a pair of teams that might both end up in the lottery. How bad will it get when the schedule presents them with better opponents?</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="1"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="bottom" width="37">
<p><b> </b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>Poss.</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>TO%</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>FTA/<br> FGA</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>FT%</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>3FGA/FGA</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>2PT%</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>3PT%</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>EFG</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>TS%</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>OReb Rate</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>DReb Rate</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="33">
<p align="center"><b>PPP</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="37">
<p><b>Lakers</b></p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">92</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">23</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">0.44</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">81</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">0.25</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">52</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">44</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">56</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">62</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">46</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">70</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">1.15</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="37">
<p><b>TB</b></p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">91</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">11</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">0.34</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">82</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">0.24</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">52</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="33">
<p align="center">45</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">56</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">61</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">30</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">54</p>
</td>
<td width="33">
<p align="center">1.27</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><i>Follow Dex on Twitter </i><a href="http://twitter.com/dexterfishmore"><i>@dexterfishmore</i></a><i>.</i></p>
<p></p>
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<div class="pane sports_data_widget events clearfix">
<table class="box-score">
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 10.31.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Los Angeles Lakers</a> </span></td>
<td>26</td>
<td>31</td>
<td>19</td>
<td>30</td>
<td class="highlight">106</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> </span></td>
<td>30</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>24</td>
<td class="highlight">116</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3584518/nash-hurt-as-lakers-fumble-their-way-to-0-2DexterFishmore2012-10-31T21:48:21-07:002012-10-31T21:48:21-07:00Steve Nash Injury: Lower Left Leg Contusion
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>During the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers game at the Rose Garden, Steve Nash and Damian Lillard collided in the second quarter. The result? Steve Nash now has a leg contusion. Not an ideal start to the season for the Lakers, to say the least.</p> <p><span>Steve Nash</span> has suffered a contusion in his lower left leg during the second quarter against the <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Portland Trail Blazers</a>, Lakers reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter" target="_blank">Mike Trudell</a> has confirmed. Despite efforts to come out and play on the wrapped leg after halftime, Nash was clearly limping while on the court, and the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Lakers</a> quickly swept him off the floor and inserted <span>Steve Blake</span> to take over Nash's share of minutes for the night as Gary Vitti and the Lakers training staff evaluate one of the two prizes of their off-season.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1666753/trudell3.JPG"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1666753/trudell3_medium.JPG" class="photo" alt="Trudell3_medium"></a> <br id="1351751998179"></p>
<p>Health has been a concern for the Lakers, ranging from bringing <span>Dwight Howard</span> back into game shape (which he still appears to be far from), to fighting flat out oddities such as Steve Blake stepping on parking lot spikes. It's just been that kind of start for the Lakers. The injury bug has now hit Steve Nash, <span>Kobe Bryant</span>, Dwight Howard, <span>Jordan Hill</span>, Steve Blake, and <span>Earl Clark</span> (yes he's on the team everybody). With Blake slated as the second point guard on the depth chart, the Lakers will need to play this cautiously. On one hand, they definitely want to have Steve Nash, their floor general, out on the floor as much as possible to help the team find an identity (aside from the turnover machine they've been thus far). On the other hand, managing the injury and not letting it become a detriment throughout the season is even more important. This is game 81 of 82, there is a whole 'lotta basketball to be played still. Patience is a virtue, everyone.</p>
<p>After the game, Trudell proceeded to give a small update on Nash, stating that the Lakers will evaluate the contusion tomorrow. Meanwhile, Kevin Ding quoted Steve Nash as being "hopeful" to play against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> on Friday. We'll keep everyone posted as soon as more information comes in.</p>
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3584264/nba-lakers-steve-nash-injury-lower-left-leg-contusion-portland-trailblazersDrew Garrison2012-10-31T19:15:07-07:002012-10-31T19:15:07-07:00Lakers Vs Blazers
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Away from Staples, the struggle to get on track resumes.</p> <p>Nothing last night went according to plan. At both ends of the floor the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lakers</a> looked slow, confused and unprepared for the regular season to start. Pointing these things out isn't panic but a truthful observation. Now they're in Portland, where a victory tonight would help calm a great many nerves in Lakerland. Another loss, though - in this case to a team most aren't expecting to reach the playoffs - and <span>Mike Brown's</span> seat, already warming up, will start to glow an orangish-red.</p>
<p>The Blazers have a new coach (<span>Terry Stotts</span>) and a new point guard in much-hyped rookie <span>Damian Lillard</span>. <span>Wesley Matthews</span> and <span>Nicolas Batum</span> give them a pair of solid wings, and of course <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> to be a high-volume scorer and rebounder. At the center position are <span>J.J. Hickson</span> and rookie <span>Meyers Leonard</span>, so once again <span>Dwight Howard</span> has a favorable matchup inside. Not that it did a lot of good against <span>Eddy Curry</span>.</p>
<p>The game's on NBA TV and TWC SportsNet. Hopefully you get one or the other.</p>
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3583308/lakers-blazers-game-threadDexterFishmore2012-10-31T15:06:27-07:002012-10-31T15:06:27-07:00Lakers-Blazers Preview: Let's Try This Again
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The Lakers look to make up for last night's opening loss with a quick turnaround in the ever-daunting Rose Garden against the Portland Trailblazers</p> <p>Well...that wasn't what anyone expected.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> were shellacked last night before a stunned STAPLES Center crowd, losing 99-91 in their home opener against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a>. The score wasn't indicative of how poorly LA played, as the All-Star laden squad fell behind by as much as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter to a Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavs team. Paul Gasol made a 3-pointer with 0:02 on the clock, pulling the Lakers to within a superficially respectable loss.</p>
<p>The Spaniard's last second heave was somewhat emblematic of the game itself; on offense, only Gasol and <span>Kobe Bryant</span> looked at all comfortable in a new, Princeton-based system. <span>Dwight Howard</span> had an extremely lackluster debut in purple & gold, fouling out of the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but shooting a pathetic (even by his standards) 3 for 14 from the free throw line. His fellow newly minted comrade <span>Steve Nash</span> looked similarly out of sorts as he produced an anemic line of 7 points, 4 assists in 34 minutes. At times, both Nash and Howard were staggeringly invisible on the court, even as their reputations as offensive and defensive catalysts suggest otherwise. All in all, the team's understanding and implementation of <span>Mike Brown</span> and <span>Eddie Jordan's</span> new offensive schemes looks to be even more elementary than anyone thought. The Lakers looked slow, uncoordinated and surprisingly lethargic at times, highlighted by Nash looking like a replacement-level point guard.</p>
<p>As C.A. Clark so expertly pointed out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3581138/counterpoint-defense-main-problem-for-the-lakers/in/3343793">this morning</a>, the Lakers' defense was actually even more damning than the discombobulated offense. Point guards Roddy Beaubois and <span>Darren Collison</span> looked like Westbrook and Harden in Mavs jerseys, destroying the Lakers for 28 combined points on a spectacular 12-20 shooting night. LA seemed slow to turn corners, committed too much on help defenses and most shockingly, couldn't seem to protect the rim even with Howard playing 38 minutes. The Lakers will need time to adjust to a complicated new offense, but in the interim, the team <i>must</i> adjust to let the defense carry them. That should hopefully start tonight with the squad's second game in as many night against the Trailblazers...in Portland. SOUND THE OMINOUS MUSIC!!!</p>
<p>The Lakers will have to adjust on the fly without any practice time against a very game, fresh young Blazers team in an arena where LA has put up a historically terrible record. The Show has only won 4 times in their last 21 tries in the Rose Garden, losing against every permutation of the Trailblazers between Western Conference title contenders and inexperienced lottery-bound messes. Whatever the reason, be it the hostile crowd in extremely close proximity to the floor, continued excellent coaching staff no matter how good or bad their team record or just a mental stumbling block that's only avalanched over the years, the Lakers can't seem to buy a win in the PDX.</p>
<p>Similar to the point guards and wing players that roasted the Lakers defense last night, Portland is equipped with a grip of young players that could replicate Dallas' surprising win. SF <span>Nicolas Batum</span> and SG <span>Wesley Matthews</span> are two fearless slashers who can both put it on the floor, as well as penetrate through a scattered Los Angeles D. Rookie point <span>Damian Lillard</span>, taken sixth in the 2012 draft out of Weber State, has looked every bit of his billing this preseason. The 6'3" guard has shown dynamic athleticism and an ability to cut past interior presences and finish at the hoop. All-Star forward <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> finishes off their young core, with an inside-out game that's always been trouble for a less mobile <span>Pau Gasol</span>.</p>
<p>Most fans thought that this game would be the first test for the Lakers, rather than last night's debacle against the Mavericks. Instead, LA is looking to stop their second consecutive loss to begin the season, and 12th overall going back to last season's playoff dump against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a>. To win this one, the Lakers are going to have to be much more aggressive defensively, which starts with Dwight Howard protecting the rim more effectively and the team doing a better job of collectively boxing out Portland's young bigs. It's easy to forget with the letdown of opening night, but the Lakers are a team with Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. On paper, LA should be able to rectify their first loss with a resounding win.</p>
<p>The Blazers and Lakers are projected to finish on opposite ends of the playoff bracket when the season ends, but as always, regardless of how LA played in game 1, this was always going to be a test. The pressure just mounted a bit more. Now go get hopped up on some candy and get ready for Lakers-Blazers.</p>
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<p><i>Tickets to tonight's game provided by our ticketing partner, TiqIQ: </i><br><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/SilverScreenandRoll/NBA/Los-Angeles-Lakers-Tickets" target="_blank">http://www.tiqiq.com/<wbr></wbr>SilverScreenandRoll/NBA/Los-<wbr></wbr>Angeles-Lakers-Tickets</a></p>
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2012/10/31/3581698/lakers-trailblazers-preview-lets-try-this-againTheGreatMambino