Defense has been the mantra for the Portland Trail Blazers throughout the early part of the 2024-25 season. Though it was inevitable there would be speed bumps in their approach, it wasn’t expected for those to come against a conference rival missing its top three players and playing on the road in the second night of a back-to-back.

That’s exactly what happened as the Los Angeles Lakers came to town and shocked the Blazers and the Moda Center faithful 121-115 Monday night.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both afternoon scratches for L.A., joining LeBron James on the sidelines. It’s apparently never too early in the season to begin load management. Even so, there was still all the recipe for turning into a full-on Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi level “Trap Game.”

And a trap it

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