The Portland Trail Blazers may have thrown away the greatest second quarter in history. They scored 49 points in just 12 minutes whereas the Lakers scored only 13 points in the same time frame. By half-time, it seemed the game was way out of LA’s hands. However, an exceptional comeback performance changed the momentum of the game.
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During the entire game, Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley were going at each other, Pat Bev, a tenacious defender, is known to get under people’s skin. He was doing exactly that. Just when the second quarter started, Damian Lillard warned a trash-talking Pat of consequences.
“I’ll beat your ass.”
Damian Lillard to Patrick Beverley 👀pic.twitter.com/UsqO8HPx6b
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 23, 2023
But unfortunately, it wasn’t a great night for Portland. Pat absolutely shut down Lillard. The Trail Blazers’ star guard went 5 of 17 from the field and 3 for 13 from the 3-pt line. The credit for his horrible shooting night goes to Lakers guard Pat Beverley.
The Lakers chased down a 25-point lead
Fascinatingly, right after Bev and Damian had that little episode, the Trail Blazers stunned the gold and purples. They outscored the Lakers 32-8 after Pat and Dame’s altercation.
But that wasn’t enough to hold down the Hollywood franchise. With Thomas Bryant and LeBron James taking over the offense and Pat Bev shutting down Damian Lillard, the Lakers overcame the deficit and won the game.
In fact, they ended up beating Portland by a 9-point lead. So, essentially, LA outscored the Trail Blazers by 34 points in the second half.
LeBron James had an incredible 37 points and 11 rebounds in the game while shooting 14 of his 24 field goals. Meanwhile, Thomas Bryant, who has stepped up in Anthony Davis’s absence, dropped 31 points on 80% field goal efficiency. He also had 14 rebounds in the game.
Patrick Beverley taunted Portland by distorting Dame’s signature celebration
Patrick Beverley went after the Portland Trail Blazers the entire night. His impact on the game was unbelievable. Though he had below-average numbers, the way he defended the best opposing scorer made him one of the most valuable players on the court tonight. If not for Beverley’s exceptional defensive outing, Damian Lillard could have changed the game.
After winning the game, Beverley taunted Damian Lillard and Trail Blazers by doing his own version of the ‘Dame-time’ celebration.
😂⌚️ pic.twitter.com/Q5erZNUrAu
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 23, 2023
The Lakers seem to be making a comeback but would it be enough to qualify even for the play-in tournament?
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