NBA: Portland Blazers prevail in battle of unbeatens against LA Lakers

What the report says

Portland opened the season 3-0 by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 on Tuesday night, handing Los Angeles its first loss in four games. According to Al Jazeera’s report, Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 23 points and nine assists, while Ja Morant and Jrue Holiday each added 23 and 22 points, respectively. Damian Lillard scored 21, and Portland’s balanced attack and efficient three-point shooting helped decide a close finish in Los Angeles.

The Lakers were led by Luka Doncic’s 41 points and nine assists, with Austin Reaves adding 26 points. Despite strong shooting overall, Los Angeles could not hold late leads as Portland finished with key baskets in the final minutes. The result highlighted an early-season matchup between two undefeated teams and gave Portland an early statement win in a competitive Western Conference race.

In other NBA games reported by Al Jazeera, Jayson Tatum hit a buzzer-beater in overtime to lift the Boston Celtics over the Brooklyn Nets 125-124, keeping Boston on a three-game winning streak while Brooklyn fell to 0-4. The New York Knicks avoided an 0-4 start by rallying past Detroit, and the San Antonio Spurs stayed hot behind Victor Wembanyama in a lopsided win over Sacramento.

More broadly, these results show several teams separating early in the season while others are still searching for form, though it remains early and standings can shift quickly.