Lakers vs. Trail Blazers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

Just over two weeks after the Portland Trail Blazers (20-27) sent the Los Angeles Lakers (16-33) packing at Staples Center, the two sides were back in action. And for the second time during that stretch, the Blazers emerged victorious. 

In a 105-98 win at Moda Center that featured two of the league's most porous defenses, the Blazers spread the wealth in the scoring column to hold off a Lakers team led by the scorching Lou Williams. 

C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard paced the Blazers with 24 points apiece, and they had company in the double-figure club. 

Mason Plumlee pulled double-double duty to the tune of 19 points and 13 rebounds against L.A.'s inexperienced front line, while Evan Turner (11 points) and Allen Crabbe (12 points) both came up with solid supplementary efforts. 

The Lakers, by comparison, leaned on Williams to do the heavy lifting. 

L.A.'s Sixth Man of the Year candidate poured in a game-high 31 points in 28 minutes off the bench, and it briefly looked like he would single-handedly will the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter, as the team's Twitter account documented: 

However, the Lakers simply didn't have enough balance or patience on offense.

Because even though Nick Young (15 points) and Jordan Clarkson (22 points) got buckets in spots, L.A.'s attack lacked flow and ball movement in key spots, according to CBSSports.com's Matt Moore:  

"

Hey how about work for a good shot, Lakers. Like, an actual shot that a team should want. Just one.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 26, 2017"

To emphasize just how top-heavy the Lakers' attack was, consider the following: While all five Portland starters finished with a plus-minus rating of at least plus-14, no member of L.A.'s starting five had a mark that clocked in higher than minus-two. 

The Blazers are now owners of back-to-back wins, which is welcome news for a team that dropped four straight between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. 

On the flip side, the Lakers are flirting with the Western Conference cellar. 

Not only has Luke Walton's club lost two in a row, but it has dropped seven of its last eight overall dating back to the Jan. 10 loss to Portland. 

And with a matchup slated for Thursday night against the Utah Jazz (10:30 p.m. ET on TNT), the Lakers will have to show some serious resolve if they want to snap out of their slump on the second night of a grueling back-to-back. 

Postgame Reaction 

"It was really good to get the win," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said, per CSNNW.com. "Defensively in the second half we did a good job even though they made their threes there late and made a run, took the lead. I thought Evan did a nice job on Williams late in the game."

Speaking of Turner, the swingman told reporters improved defense was the reason his team was able to pull things out, as the NBA documented on Twitter: 

As for the Lakers, Walton was understandably not thrilled with what he saw on the whole. 

"I loved some of it, some of it's eating at me pretty bad," he said, per the Orange County Register's Bill Oram. 

Looking ahead, Walton told reporters he may consider a change to his starting lineup to help fix the scoring imbalance.

"It’s definitely something we’re talking about," he said, per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli. "Maybe we’ll get there soon."