Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James passes the ball as he is defended by Portland Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic (27) during the second half of an NBA basketball first round playoff game Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Ashley Landis / AP
The Portland Trail Blazers ended their playoff run and their season Saturday night with a 122 to 131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Blazers looked scrappy and kept the score close for much of the game. CJ McCollum had 36 points, while Carmelo Anthony added 27.
But the team was shorthanded, with all-star guard Damian Lillard out due to an injury, and center Zach Collins and power forward Wenyan Gabriel both also on the injured list.
There was a moment of silence before the game for former Trail Blazer Cliff Robinson, who died Saturday at 53. Robinson played 18 seasons in the NBA, his first eight in Portland, and later made the city his home. Portland players wore headbands during the game in his honor.
“His personality and energy were unmatched, and his contributions on the court were unmistakable, helping the Trail Blazers into the playoffs each of his eight seasons with the team,” the Blazers said in a statement.
The game was originally set for Wednesday night, but players across the league collectively decided not to play in the three playoff games scheduled for that day to protest racial injustice following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Games on Friday were also postponed.
The Blazers’ exit from the playoffs marks the end of the team’s participation in one of the most unusual seasons in NBA history.
Games were halted in March after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19, and only resumed after the NBA developed plans for a playoff bubble that kept players, coaches and personnel isolated from much of the world at a sports complex in Florida, with frequent coronavirus testing.
The league ultimately invited 22 teams to participate in the so-called “bubble season,” which started July 30 and is expected to last into mid-October. In order to join the bubble, teams had to either be already in a playoff seeded position, or within six games of reaching the playoffs. Eight teams did not make the cut.