Drew Timme scored a career-high 21 points off the bench, but the Los Angeles Lakers fell 132-116 to the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday at Moda Center.
“That’s the style that we want to play, you just want to play more physical, harder,” Timme said when asked about establishing a tone against Portland. “Sometimes it’s just the way the whistle goes…got to be able to adjust.”
Timme credited his teammates for creating open looks and rhythm on offense. “It’s easy when you play with guys that just get you the ball in easy spots…wide open threes. We were just playing basketball and it just happened to be who got the shots early.”
The Lakers’ big man reflected on the significance of his performance. “Hadn’t really gotten big minutes like this in about 10 months…it’s great to see all the work you put in…the G League keeps me sharp and ready for moments like these.”
Timme also spoke about mentoring younger players. “I played against Hansen Young a little bit in the G this year…just congratulating him on the success. He’s a good dude, you always want to see good people do well.”
Despite Timme’s strong outing, Los Angeles struggled without Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton, with Marcus Smart leaving in the fourth quarter after scoring 25 points. LeBron James added 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Portland built a 14-point halftime lead and extended it to 24 late in the fourth, with Shaedon Sharpe leading the Blazers with 25 points, while Jerami Grant and Caleb Love added 22 each.
The Trail Blazers improved to 20-22, winning seven of their last nine games, while the Lakers fell to 24-15. Portland will face the Atlanta Hawks Monday, and Los Angeles returns home to host the Toronto Raptors Sunday.
