One of the adorable aspects of last night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers, that featured an excess of free-throws on both sides and generally janky game flow, was the earnest reaction of undrafted rookie Wenyen Gabriel of the Blazers, who played in his first playoff game last night. But the start wasn’t the only first for Gabriel, as he caught an elbow from LeBron James early in the game, causing his nose to bleed. Oddly enough, it was Gabriel’s “first ever” nosebleed and he couldn’t believe, with a grin on his face, that his first nosebleed was courtesy of LeBron.
"Bro I can’t believe Bron (gave me my first nosebleed ever)!" 😂 @WenyenGabriel | #RipCity pic.twitter.com/pwOnzCnNsV
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 19, 2020
Gabriel played 16 minutes for the Blazers in Game 1, starting in place of the injured Zach Collins. Gabriel scored only four points but he was a +12 for the game and he brought a great deal of energy towards his assignment of guarding Anthony Davis. With Collins undergoing an MRI on Wednesday, the Blazers will need Gabriel to come through with a lot more firsts if they are to actually upset the Lakers.
