The Portland Trail Blazers approached their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night with little fear and a lot of energy. The fact that the Lakers were missing starter Anthony Davis raised hopes that Portland could pull out a road win against their more experienced opponents. This possibility remained for most of the evening. Although youth, athleticism, and even a bit of luck (in the form of referee decisions) benefited Portland, the Lakers had one more LeBron James than Portland. That was enough to put LA over the top, 114-106. It was the 22nd loss of the year for the Blazers in just 11 wins.

Anfernee Simons led the Blazers with 23. Four of five Portland starters scored 18 or more points.

Here are some of the factors that determined the outcome.

Fast play

Whatever else happened in this game, the Blazers came into the game determined to play fast and get on offense early. It was reminiscent of the first few weeks of the season when they had at least some success. They didn’t wait and didn’t keep the ball in the half court. Once inside the three-point arc, the guards attempted penetrating dribbles to create action. Nobody hesitated with his three-point shots either. Driving the transition was a natural consequence of this.

Not only is this a more enjoyable way to play, it is also extremely effective as it involves all five players in the offense rather than the highly isolated guards dominating. Actual effectiveness? That doesn’t always happen. But high energy is better than no energy. The Blazers should recommit to playing this way every night.

On the other hand, the Lakers scored 26 fast break points while Portland scored just 12 points. Getting back on defense is just as important as getting back on offense. It’s in progress.

Guard Rating

Both Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons got mid-range and long-range shots throughout the game, shots that the Lakers were willing to take. Portland’s backcourt scorers are actually pretty good in the middle areas of the court.

However, neither of the two scorers had a great game. Sharpe looked good at the rim. He also drew 8 foul shots. However, he only shot 1:5 from distance and scored 19 points. Simons was far more efficient, shooting 8-17, 4-9 on threes, but committing four turnovers.

Aggression on the bench

Partly because of the tempo, partly because the guards created some space, partly because of the absence of Anthony Davis, Portland was able to repeatedly advance against the Lakers. The substitute bench in particular benefited from this. Portland’s three-point shooting isn’t outstanding, but their athleticism gives them a chance when they get closer to the basket. The Blazers scored 54 points in the lane, matching the Lakers’ output.

Dad Bron

Every time Portland’s youthful enthusiasm threatened to take over, LeBron James would look across the court as if to say, “Time to calm down, kids.” Whether it was a well-placed pass or a devastating three-pointer, James kept it Lakers firmly in control after a shaky start. He seemed unfazed, unbothered, and at times incredible. It’s a stark reminder of the difference between what Portland is doing and championship ball. The posture alone could have been learned in a clinic.

With 3:00 left in the fourth and the Blazers trailing by just 4, James jumped in and attacked Sharpe with a shot that Sharpe converted. That kind of willingness to do anything epitomized both LeBron’s approach to the game and the exact reason the Lakers came out on top in that game.

The fact that he crowned the game with a hard three-pointer with just a minute to go was, well, the icing on the cake. Incredible.

James finished the game with 38 points on 15-25 shooting and 7-10 from distance. Like Simons, he had 4 turnovers. The difference was that he provided eight assists along the way. (Simons had 5.)

What happened to the centers?

Without Davis in the lineup for LA and given their relatively good track record of late, one would have expected the Trail Blazers centers to take a step forward in this game. This expectation remained largely unfulfilled. Neither Deandre Ayton nor Donovan Clingan could get into the action, let alone dominate it. The fast pace of the game may have contributed to this, as did the agility of their Lakers colleagues. Whatever the reason, Portland’s two leading centers combined for just 10 points and 9 rebounds in a total of 38 minutes of play. This also added 4 turnovers to the mix.

Rebounding

The lack of authority at the big positions was pretty evident when it came to rebounding. The Blazers are generally a good offensive rebounding team. They only managed 8-for-15 for the Lakers tonight. Ouch.

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The last metric to point out is a combo bonus. Led by LeBron, the Lakers played efficiently for most of the night. The Blazers seemed powerless to stop them. LA finished the game with 30 assists on 13 turnovers. The Blazers only had 24 assists, including 18 errors. These conditions are not the same. Whatever point guard character was on display in this game, it was largely on the Lakers’ side.

Next

Box score

The Blazers travel to Milwaukee to take on old friend Damian Lillard and the Bucks on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.