Just a couple of months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers ended the Portland Trail Blazers’ season. The Blazers were supposed to have a shot at upsetting them, yet LeBron James and his teammates got the job done in just 5 games.
Obviously, Damian Lillard’s injury and the lack of a defensive stalwart as Robert Covington took a toll on RIP City’s chances of actually beating the Lakers, so it’s pretty safe to say that they had their next meeting marked on their calendars.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see that the Blazers hit the ground running vs. the purple and gold last night. It was personal for them, and they were the better team en route to an impressive 115-107 win.
Derrick Jones Jr Calls LeBron James A ‘Great Actor’
But, even if their offense was pretty solid throughout the whole game, it was the Blazers’ defense the one that got the job done down the stretch, including some key stops by Derrick Jones Jr over LeBron James.
The high-flying forward made the most of his huge wingspan to bother The King and even got the best of him with an emphatic block, which left LeBron complaining to the referees about a no-call.
So, when asked whether his presence and defense had bothered LeBronJamesthrough the game, Derrick Jones didn’t hesitate to call the four-time NBA champion out, saying“I guess he’s a great actor. He don’t show it. He play the world.”
"I guess he's a great actor. He don't show it. He play the world." -- Derrick Jones Jr. on whether LeBron was annoyed with his defense tonight.
At the end of the day, LeBron finished with a team-high 29 points on 11/20 shooting and 3/7 from beyond the arc, so it’s not like Jones locked him up. Then again, he did get the best of him through key stretches of the game, and it’ll be interesting to see if James takes this personally for their next meeting.
