After the Portland Trail Blazers handled business in exhilarating fashion against the Los Angeles Lakers just 11 days ago , the sequel NBA Cup matchup didn't have the ending Portland fans hoped for.
Nothing good lasts forever, and that's exactly what can be said about the Blazers' perfect road record, as Luka Doncic and the Lakers handed Portland its first loss away from home this season and just its second overall.
From an entertainment perspective, you can say a lot about this game, as the matchups between these two teams this season have lived up to the billing and are on many people's NBA playoff wishlists.
Yet for the Blazers, there are far more things to worry about than the box office numbers.
Let's discuss some of the takeaways from this game, and don't worry, I've redacted every sentence pertaining to that third quarter; we will never speak of that quarter again.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia plays for the ball against Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Blazers struggled significantly with their ball security and defensive rebounding in the loss to L.A. It's a sentence that was used in almost every loss last season, with the opposition's name being interchangeable.
In a game where an opposing player scores 53 points, it still feels like the Blazers beat themselves.
24 turnovers. 17 offensive rebounds given up.
Now, it would be a disservice to Micah Nori and his coaching staff to act like Portland has not made strides in the right direction this season. Prior to the loss, Portland had improved slightly in the turnover department (15.6) and surprisingly allow the sixth-fewest offensive rebounds per game (10.6), after being near the bottom of both categories last season
Yet the emphasis during training camp was on those two exact things, and you can see why, as Portland still found itself with a chance to steal the game on the road.
If the Blazers could have cut down just a few more turnovers or grabbed a couple more defensive rebounds, it's a completely different ball game.
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic during the first half | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
No matter what you invested in or what your portfolio was, nobody in North America has had a stock plummet this week more than me. My Scoot Henderson stocks are nowhere near where I expected them to be eight games into the season.
It just hasn't come together at all for the 22-year-old guard, who had such high hopes coming out of training camp. Zero field goals for the second time this season, coupled with five turnovers and five fouls made for a forgettable night, a phrase I continuously catch myself saying when it comes to Scoot.
The version of Henderson that we've seen so far this season has been reminiscent of his rookie season, which is exactly what you don't want to hear about a player in year four.
Too fast, too much lack of control, and maybe too much too soon in expecting Henderson to impact winning.
It is hard to justify him in the starting lineup when Jrue Holiday has consistently outplayed him since Ja Morant's injury. Furthermore, maybe even his rotation place should be up for contention with Sidy Cissoko's breakout and another solid Chris Youngblood cameo.
I will never stop believing in Scoot, but at some point, you have to call a spade a spade.
Lakers center Walker Kessler plays for the rebound against Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan during the second half | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maybe it was the Hollywood setting or the A-list celebrities surrounding the court, but down the stretch of the fourth quarter, the Blazers' offense lost its flow.
When you look at the box score and see 43 fourth-quarter points, you would instantly believe that notion to be false, but somehow it isn't.
Portland got to the free-throw line well, scored in transition and got some timely bailout threes on broken possessions.
Many broken possessions.
Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija struggled to get things going in a half-court setting. The play calls looked strange, and there was a lot of hot potato towards the end of the clock.
Despite all of that, and with the help of some Toumani Camara heroics, the Blazers found themselves down six with the ball and 25 seconds on the clock.
Donovan Clingan had the inbound and threw a pass that was almost in slow motion and telegraphed. The waiting Lillard was in no man's land as he watched the ball get stolen by the Lakers, effectively ending the game.
Portland has not found itself in many close games this season and also didn't have its lead initiator, Ja Morant, available, but alarm bells are definitely ringing about how late-game execution will be going forward in clutch games.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/onsi as 3 Takeaways From the Blazers First Road Loss vs. Doncic, Lakers .
