LOS Angeles Lakers bounced back from a series opener stunner with a 111-88 annihilation of Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 of the 2019-2020 NBA Western Conference first round playoffs on Thursday night in Orlando, Florida.
Anthony Davis halted his shooting woes as he finished with 31 points, including three three-point conversions, while Kentavious Cadwell-Pope and JR Smith added 16 and 11 markers, respectively, as the Lakers tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
The Lakers set the tone early in the opening half, where Davis dropped 21 of his total output, to establish a 56-39 advantage. The lead swelled further for the Western Conference top-seeds in the second half as it reached its largest at 32 points.
Damian Lillard finished with 18 points before exiting late in the match due to a finger injury, while CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons contributed 13 and 11 markers for the Blazers.
Eastern Conference no. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks also recovered from Game 1 defeat with a 111-96 domination over Orlando Magic as they leveled their first round series at 1-1.
Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied double-double 28 points and 20 rebounds, Brook Lopez added 20 markers, while Pat Connaughton had 15 on 5-of-8 3-point shooting for Milwaukee.
Also in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Duncan Robinson drained seven triples and finished with 24 points as Miami Heat seized a 2-0 advantage with a 109-100 triumph over Indiana Pacers.
While in another West series, James Harden tallied 21 points as Danuel House added 19 markers to spearhead Houston Rockets to a 111-98 victory over Oklahoma City Thunders and take a 2-0 edge./PN
