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Trail Blazers beat Lakers 136-129 as Lillard’s late three offsets Dončić’s 41 points

Portland stayed unbeaten with four players scoring at least 20 points, while Los Angeles took its first loss despite another big night from Luka Dončić.

NewsJaws DeskEditorial desk

Published 28 Oct 2026, 09:49 GMT2 min read

Damian Lillard dribbles the ball for Portland as Russell Westbrook defends for Oklahoma City. — Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016. File photograph. James Schumacher, “Damian Lillard vs Russel Westbrook (23680791964)” (resized and converted to WebP). CC BY 2.0.Image source Image licence: CC BY 2.0

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The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, October 27, handing the Lakers their first loss of the NBA season. Damian Lillard made a late three-pointer to help Portland move to 3-0 despite Luka Dončić scoring a game-high 41 points for the hosts.

Portland spread the scoring across its lineup: Deni Avdija and Ja Morant had 23 points each, Jrue Holiday scored 22 off the bench and Lillard added 21. Dončić also had nine assists for Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves contributed 26 points and seven assists. The Lakers entered the game with three wins from three.

How Portland closed out the Lakers

Los Angeles led 103-102 entering the fourth quarter, according to Pro Football Network. The lead changed hands during the game, but Portland found its advantage late. Reuters reported that Morant’s floater put the Blazers up 130-127 with 2:01 remaining; he scored again before Dončić cut the gap to three with just over a minute left.

Lillard then hit a three-pointer to make it 135-129 with about 43 seconds remaining. Reuters reported that Dončić and Reaves missed three-point attempts on the Lakers’ next possession, before Holiday made one of two free throws. Pro Football Network said Portland closed the game on a 15-8 run.

Portland’s shooting overcame Dončić’s scoring

The Blazers shot 59 percent from the field and made 18 of their 36 three-point attempts. Lillard made four of his eight attempts from deep; Avdija and Toumani Camara also made four each, Reuters reported. That outside shooting gave Portland several contributors alongside Morant’s scoring in the paint during the closing minutes.

Dončić’s 41 points came two days after he scored 52 against the Utah Jazz, according to Reuters. He made six of 15 three-point attempts against Portland, while Reaves made four of eight. Los Angeles shot 56.2 percent overall and made 17 of 43 from beyond the arc, but could not match Portland’s late scoring.

Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the team needed to get back and set its defense, according to Pro Football Network. Portland went on to score 56 points in the paint. The outlet reported that Lillard, who missed the previous season with a torn left Achilles tendon, played 31 minutes and added five rebounds and four assists to his 21 points.