The Los Angeles Lakers no longer have to wonder who their first-round opponent will be in the 1-8 series of the Western Conference playoffs. Behind major performances from Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Carmelo Anthony, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference play-in game to earn a spot in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Damian Lillard had 31 points and 10 assists in the game, while McCollum hit a bevy of crucial shots in the 4th quarter to win them the game. Game 1 of the first round between the Lakers and Blazers is set for Tuesday night at 6 p.m. pacific/9 p.m. eastern time.
LeBron James has spoken multiple times that the Lakers and he can’t truly go into playoff mode until they know their opponent. Now they know it’s the Blazers and can dive deep into a scouting process. Also, the Lakers have a player who has plenty of experience beating the Blazers in the playoffs in Anthony Davis, who was part of a Pelicans squad that swept the Blazers in the 2018 playoffs.
