Ja Morant, Damian Lillard lead unbeaten Trail Blazers past Lakers 136-129 despite Luka Doncic's 41

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ja Morant and Deni Avdija scored 23 points apiece, Damian Lillard added 21 and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play, and the Portland Trail Blazers remained unbeaten with a 136-129 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Luka Doncic had 41 points and nine assists in the Lakers' first loss of the season.

Jrue Holiday scored 22 points for the Blazers, who are off to the franchise's second 3-0 start in the last 15 years. Portland stayed perfect under new coach Micah Nori by finishing on a 15-8 run.

Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 17.

Portland took an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter before Doncic returned from the bench to lead the Lakers’ comeback. Lillard and Avdija made back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minutes, but Doncic and Ziaire Williams matched them to keep it close.

Morant hit midrange jumpers on consecutive possessions to put Portland up by five, and Lillard clinched the win with his fourth 3-pointer. The 36-year-old veteran had another big night against the Lakers despite uncharacteristically missing four free throws.

Doncic hit six 3-pointers against Portland in another big offensive game after his 52-point performance at Utah last weekend — his 10th time topping the 50-point mark in less than two years with the Lakers. He also played noticeably engaged defense, but the Blazers’ balanced scoring and big baskets down the stretch were too much.

Doncic scored 16 points in the first quarter, but Portland missed just 10 shots in the entire first half. Los Angeles got an early boost from Mamukelashvili, who capped his 13-point half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Trail Blazers: Host Memphis on Thursday.

Lakers: At Clippers on Wednesday.

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