Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener
3. The interior defense in the first half was a little concerning
People understood that this Lakers team would be different than your average modern NBA squad. They weren’t looking to just put up as many 3-point shots as possible. Instead, they were looking to blitz opponents on offense by pounding the paint and running in transition.
L.A. did absolutely that in the first half of this game, and it felt like there was little Portland could do about it. The Lakers reeled off 50 of their 70 total points in the paint within the first two quarters. They had 63 points at halftime despite missing all 12 of the 3-point attempts.
Eventually, Portland made adjustments. The team actually outscored the Lakers in the key 14-10 in the third quarter. Zach Collins led the turnaround here, getting three of his career-high six blocks in this frame. Maurice Harkless also chipped in one as well, finishing with three swats in the game.
Collins with a swat on one end and a dunk on the other to reclaim the lead at 86-85
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) October 19, 2018
Still, it was troubling to see the Lakers get almost anything they wanted in the paint for 24 minutes. For the first 43 minutes of this game, it really felt like the Blazers had a chance to lose this game to the reincarnation of the Showtime Lakers.
This game’s outcome would have been much less favorable for the Blazers if the Lakers attacked the paint as well as they did and also made at least a few 3-pointers in the first half. They should keep that in mind when facing any teams in the league that are efficient both inside and from distance.