The Portland Trail Blazers remained unbeaten with a 136-129 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, as Ja Morant and Deni Avdija scored 23 points apiece and Damian Lillard delivered a decisive 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining.
Luka Doncic scored 41 points and dished out nine assists for the Lakers, who suffered their first loss of the 2026-27 season. Austin Reaves added 26 points and seven assists, while Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 17 points off the bench.
Portland improved to 3-0 under new coach Micah Nori, securing its second 3-0 start in the past 15 years. Jrue Holiday scored 22 points off the bench, while Lillard finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Trail Blazers shot 59% from the field and made 18 of 36 3-pointers. They also recorded 30 assists, with Avdija contributing nine and Morant adding four. Robert Williams III had 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, giving Portland another double-digit scoring performance.
The Lakers led 38-32 after the first quarter, but Portland scored 36 points in the second and 34 in the third to take a 102-103 deficit into the fourth? The Trail Blazers entered the final period trailing 103-102 before using a late surge to secure the win.
Portland built an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Doncic helped Los Angeles rally. Both teams traded 3-pointers in the closing minutes, with Lillard and Avdija answering shots from Doncic and Ziaire Williams.
Morant then hit midrange jumpers on consecutive possessions to put Portland up by five before Lillard’s fourth 3-pointer of the night helped seal the result. Lillard shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, although he went 7-for-11 at the free-throw line.
Doncic made six 3-pointers and shot 12-for-22 from the field, while Reaves connected on four of eight attempts from deep. The Lakers shot 56% overall but made 17 of 43 3-pointers, compared with Portland’s 18-for-36 performance.
The Trail Blazers host Memphis on Thursday, while the Lakers visit the Clippers on Wednesday.
