The Lakers found out the hard way Tuesday night that 129 points can still be wasted.
Los Angeles dropped its first game of the season, falling 136-129 to the Portland Trail Blazers, and the number that jumps off the page is the one on the wrong side of the scoreboard: the Lakers allowed their highest point total of the young season. Even with an offense that has already flashed real firepower, that wasn’t enough to cover for what happened at the other end.
Through four games, the Lakers sit No. 2 in offensive rating, and the early look on that side has matched the preseason expectation that this group could score with anybody. But the defense has been a different story. After Tuesday’s loss, Los Angeles ranked 22nd in defensive rating at 117.6, a jarring contrast for a team that has leaned so heavily on its offense.
Austin Reaves didn’t sugarcoat the issue after the game. He pointed to the team’s offensive strengths, but made clear that the bigger problem is on defense, especially when the pace flips and opponents get out in transition.
One area that could help on both ends is simply taking better care of the ball. The Lakers finished with 15 turnovers against Portland, and Reaves was clean with zero after piling up 13 on his own in the first three games. For the season, he’s averaging 3.3 turnovers per game.
But even with a cleaner night offensively, the bigger concern keeps circling back to the same place. The Lakers have been shaky defensively through four games, and the trend has only gotten worse, even against a schedule that hasn’t exactly been imposing.
Portland exposed the cracks by breaking the Lakers down and forcing them into mistakes with their positioning and awareness. As the source put it, Los Angeles wasn’t disciplined enough about “knowing their personnel.”
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