The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers bring perfect starts into Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and one of them is leaving with a first loss. The Lakers are 3-0, the Blazers 2-0, and the matchup has already turned into an early test of who can keep an unbeaten run alive.
The reason this game has grabbed attention is simple: the Lakers have been winning while leaning hard on Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, who scored 52 and 29 points, respectively, in their last game against the Utah Jazz. That same win also exposed a problem that matters more against a fast start like Portland's, because Los Angeles allowed 52 rebounds, 20 offensive rebounds, 34 points off second chances and 58 points in the paint. Those numbers are hard to ignore when the next opponent has already opened with a 41-point win over the Phoenix Suns and then followed it with a clutch victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Deni Avdija has been central to that start, averaging 22 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5 assists across two games. Portland also comes in with four days of rest, while the Lakers are on a short turnaround after a game that was decided more by shot-making than control. That contrast gives Tuesday's meeting a sharp edge: Los Angeles has the record, but Portland has the fresher legs and the cleaner defensive resume so far.
The Blazers are also expected to lean on Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara to make life difficult for Dončić and Reaves, which means this is not just a meeting of two unbeaten teams but a direct test of whether the Lakers can defend well enough to keep that streak intact. If Los Angeles gives away the glass again, Portland has already shown enough firepower to make the cost immediate.
