The Portland Trail Blazers faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in a game where L.A. missed vast swaths of their normal lineup. LeBron James did not play, nor did scoring guard Austin Reeves. Absent two of their three leading scorers, the Lakers looked an awful lot like Anthony Davis surrounded by a G League lineup, ultimately including THE Bronny James.
Under those conditions, almost any credible NBA team should have been able to give L.A. a run for their money. Portland did, mostly. A big second-quarter run for the Lakers put them ahead comfortably.