The Portland Trail Blazers had an off night and lost heavily to the Los Angeles Lakers. One of their biggest strugglers tonight was Damian Lillard. Their hero every other night. Today he failed to get into a groove, going 6/14 from the field while shooting 1/7 from three. But his night took a worse turn after he was forced off the game after an injury.

As the third quarter was about to end, Lillard suffered a left index finger dislocation and couldn’t continue. However, Shams Charania from the Athletic later tweeted that he is likely to feature against the Lakers in Game 3 on August 23.

Although he left the game late in the third, with him on the court, the Blazers would have looked stronger. His injury might have dejected his teammates as well.

Can Damian Lillard come back strong in Game 3?

Tonight, they were badly outplayed by the Lakers, who came in strong after a loss in Game 1. The Lakers defended well from the start, and the Blazers could not find an answer. Moreover, none of the Blazers starters could shoot above 40%. The Lakers kept them in check and piled on the points on the other end.

Usually one of the best three-point shooting teams, the Blazers failed to find success tonight. They went 8/29 from three as a team and Dame and CJ combined for a whopping two threes throughout the game.

Carmelo Anthony continued his struggles after going 1/6 tonight. During the first game, he shot 3/11 but was bailed by his teammates. The Blazers’ big man duo failed to get going as well. Jusuf Nurkic had nine points all game, while Hassan Whiteside had six.

The Lakers defended well tonight and got their reward for it. But they will have to be on their toes. Lillard can erupt anytime, and only he can stop himself when he gets going. The Blazers are not strong defensively and have to work on outscoring the inconsistent Lakers. They will face off again in two days, as both teams look to going 2-1 up in the series.

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Will LeBron James and Anthony Davis prove too hot to handle for the Blazers, or will Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum come back strongly?