LeBron James rues Lakers' late defensive 'mistakes' following Game 1 playoff loss
Wednesday 19 August 2020 11:43, UK
LeBron James made history in his first playoff appearance for the Los Angeles Lakers but could not stop his team falling to a Game 1 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard had 34 points as the eighth-seeded Blazers spoiled James' postseason debut wearing purple and gold with a 100-93 victory in the opening exchange of the teams' first-round playoff series.
After sinking a deep three-pointer midway through the final quarter, Lillard started to dance and team-mate Jusuf Nurkic pointed to his wrist. This was Dame Time, playoff edition.
"Every game since we have been here has been a playoff game. So that prepared us for a game like this," Lillard said.
James had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists, becoming the first player to record more than 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a single playoff game. It was his 24th postseason triple-double and his assists were a career playoff high.
But he was left to rue the Lakers' defensive mistakes late in the fourth quarter as Portland nailed five three-pointers to record an upset win.
"We had a couple of breakdowns, which you can't have down the stretch, especially against a team that is red-hot like Portland," James said.
"The two-headed monster (Lillard and CJ McCollum) were the ones who made the plays. CJ hit a big three, Damian hit a couple of threes as well. Then Melo and Gary Trent hit late.
"They had five threes late in the game after we had done an exceptional job of trying to keep them off the three-point line. They made enough plays to win the game down the stretch and we didn't.
"Defensively, you have to key in on the game plan. You can't make mistakes in the postseason. I believe we made some mistakes defensively, especially down the stretch."
Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points and 15 rebounds for Portland, who led by as many as 16 points in the first half. The Lakers, making their first playoff appearance since 2013, narrowed the advantage to 57-56 at the break and stayed close the rest of the way.
Trailing 78-75 going into the final period, the Lakers tied it at 78 on Kyle Kuzma's three-pointer. James' lay-up gave Los Angeles the lead, and Kuzma added a pair of free throws and another lay-up to extend it to 84-78.
Lillard's three-pointer tied it again at 87 with 5:46 to go and CJ McCollum's floater gave Portland the lead. Lillard said afterward he danced after his three because the song 'Blow the Whistle' was played in the bubble arena.
"They played an East Oakland anthem. So it was only right I acknowledged it and go dumb for a second. That was it," he said.
After Danny Green's lay-up tied it again for Los Angeles, Lillard nailed another three-pointer. Anthony Davis' dunk got the Lakers within 95-93, but Trent Jr made a three-pointer that put Portland up 98-93 before Nurkic dunked to seal it.
