The Lakers closed their regular season with a blowout 109–81 loss to the Blazers, resting stars like LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and Austin Reaves ahead of the playoffs. Rookie Dalton Knecht shined with 27 points and 8 rebounds, but the short-handed squad couldn’t keep up with Portland’s second-quarter surge and third-quarter dominance.
With the Lakers locked into the No. 3 seed and set to face Minnesota, JJ Redick reflected on past playoff lessons—pointing out that assistant coach Greg St. Jean was part of the Suns staff swept by the Wolves last year. “Just stating a fact,” JJ said, with a grin.
Meanwhile, Knecht expressed confidence in the team’s leadership, especially LeBron. “He’s been in the playoffs since before I was born,” he joked while noting Luka, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt will help anchor the group.
The real test begins when the Lakers open their playoff run against the Timberwolves.
(This is a building story…)
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