National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Portland 116, L.A. Lakers 106
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #73 Tre Maddox, #40 Leon Wood
Attendance: 20401
Trail Blazers 116, Lakers 106: Nicolas Batum scored 26 points and Damon Lillard had 23 points and 11 assists in his pro debut as host Portland handed star-studded Los Angeles its second straight loss to begin the season.

Wesley Matthews scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points for the Trail Blazers, who scored the final 13 points of the third quarter to take a 16-point lead into the final period.

Dwight Howard had 33 points and 14 rebounds and Kobe Bryant added 30 for the Lakers, who lost point guard Steve Nash to a lower left leg contusion. Pau Gasol tallied 16 points as Los Angeles followed up a season-opening loss to Dallas with another substandard effort.

The Lakers trailed 79-76 before Portland exploded over the final three minutes of the third quarter. Sasha Pavlovic scored seven points during the quarter-ending run and Lillard had six.

J.J. Hickson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Portland, which forced 24 turnovers while improving to 17-4 over its last 21 home games against the Lakers.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nash left early in the third quarter and recorded just two points and four assists in 16 minutes. … The Trail Blazers were 23-of-28 from the free-throw line. … Howard was 15-of-19 from the free-throw line one night after going a dreadful 3-for-14 from the stripe in the loss to Dallas.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   Portland
Dwight Howard 33 Scoring Nicolas Batum 26
Dwight Howard 5 Assists Damian Lillard 11
Dwight Howard 14 Rebounds J.J. Hickson 10
Dwight Howard 15 Free Throws Made Damian Lillard 8
Steve Blake 2 Steals Wesley Matthews 4
Dwight Howard 1 Blocks LaMarcus Aldridge 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 106 50.0 8-18 26-32 21 45 2 6 25
Portland 116 50.6 9-20 23-28 19 30 5 10 12
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Lakers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.