​Oct 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Jimmy VikAfter seeing superstar Luka Doncic put on a masterful 52-point performance Sunday in Utah, the Los Angeles Lakers knew they’d face their toughest challenge yet in the form of the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Afterwards, the coach and the players offered their takes on why they failed to deliver.Lakers First Loss of the SeasonOct 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) battle for the ball in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesEntering a matchup of two unbeaten teams, the Lakers attempted to move to 4-0 on the young season. The Lakers also tried to keep pace with the high-octane Blazers following Portland’s back-to-back wins over the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings to start the season. But despite Doncic’s best efforts with 41 points, five rebounds, nine assists and a block, the Lakers (3-1) wouldn’t have enough to contain Portland’s quartet of Ja Morant, Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard while falling to a 136-129 loss at home.“We just got broken down a lot,” Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick said after the loss. “I thought the game-plan discipline … wasn’t where it needs to be. And I think sometimes early in the season, these are good learning lessons we can apply both as coaches and as players. How can we teach the scheme better? It was also an incredible shot-making game. Let’s also factor that in.”“We got good looks, and I think we have to be able to rely on our defense every night,” Redick added. “If we score 129 points at home, we should be able to get enough stops to win. It’s a credit to Portland, for sure. I mean, I said it before the game. It was going to be a great test for us, because they’re a really good basketball team. They showed that tonight.”The Lakers’ Defense Was TestedPortland’s foursome of Morant, Avdija, Holiday and Lillard combined for 89 points. The Blazers shot 59 percent from the field as a team, including 18-of-36 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Lakers connected on 56.3 percent from the field at the other end of the court, making 17-for-43 shots from beyond the three-point arc.23 from Ja.23 from Deni.22 from Jrue.21 from Dame.This quartet of @trailblazers accounted for 89 POINTS (65.4% of Portland’s scoring) to secure their third straight W to open the season 👏 pic.twitter.com/WjKnGE8q9P— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2026Five players scored in double figures for LA in the loss, displaying the Lakers’ depth around the league’s leading scorer. Still, after seeing Doncic put on another great performance with 41 points in less than 37 minutes, the team knows they have to be better at the defensive end of the floor