NBA: Trail Blazers get opener win as Lakers' woes continue

Another game, another loss for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Portland Trail Blazers defended their home court on opening night, handing the Lakers their second loss of the season in as many outings, 116-106, Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time) at the Rose Garden. After acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard during the offseason, the Lakers were thought to be one of the best teams in the league, but they stumbled early on, falling to the Dallas Mavericks, Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time), 99-91. The Lakers sought to bounce back on the road and avoid going 0-2, but things didn't happen quite as they planned. A split at the line by Dwight Howard at the 4:01 mark of the first quarter made it 23-22 in favor of LA, but as it turned out, that would be the last time they were out in front for the rest of the game. An 8-3 run by Portland, capped by a Wesley Matthews triple, allowed the home team to enter the second period with a 30-26 lead. Disaster struck for LA in the second quarter, as former two-time MVP Steve Nash collided with rookie Damian Lillard with 2:49 left in the first half. Nash proceeded to limp around on the Blazers' next possession, before getting subbed out. He tried to return in the second half, but was quickly taken back out with what was diagnosed as a left leg contusion. Without Nash, the Lakers struggled to put points on the board coming out of halftime. Portland exploded for a 30-19 quarter, with Lillard teaming up with JJ Hickson and Sasha Pavlovic, as the trio scored seven each. Portland's lead grew to as much as 19 points on a Matthews triple with 9:11 left in the game, 102-83, but the Lakers were not going down without a fight, as an 11-3 run, five coming from Kobe Bryant, got it down to a more manageable 105-94, 5:02 remaining. Nicolas Batum was there to quell LA's rally however, hitting a triple off a JJ Hickson assist to get their lead back up to 14. The buffer didn't last though, as off Portland turnovers, LA scored six in a row, getting it down to single digits, 112-104, with 1:03 left on the game clock. Charities by Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge sandwiching a dunk by Gasol brought their edge back to double-digits, 116-106. Batum then clinched things with a steal off a Gasol pass. Batum poured in 26 point to lead Portland. Sixth overall pick Damian Lillard posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists, while Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 and 19, respectively. The Trail Blazers survived a monster game from Dwight Howard, who reversed his free throw woes from their first game to shoot 15-of-19 from the stripe, en route to a game-best 33 markers. He also had 14 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal in 41 minutes of action. Kobe Bryant also went off for 30 points on 50 percent shooting, but it was not enough for them to register their first win. While many point to LA's offseason adoption of the Princeton offense as the team's major problem, their defense did them no favors in this game, as Portland scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters. They also shot 50.6 percent from the field, and won despite giving up 15 more rebounds to LA. - AMD, GMA News