Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James Notches History Despite Losing To Portland Trail Blazers

Even in defeat, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James managed to make history.

James became the first player in NBA history to notch a triple-double of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in Tuesday night's 100-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening game of the Western Conference Playoffs.

The four-time MVP recorded another historic performance, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists. But it still wasn't enough to lift the Lakers to victory.

Despite the dominant performance of the Lakers' captain, the red-hot Trail Blazers were too much to handle. The final score of 100-93 highlighted the consistent shooting and all-around firepower of the Trail Blazers.

Portland had to grind to get to this point as Damian Lillard led his squad to secure the final playoff spot. Enduring a tough stretch to qualify and win a play-in series, Lillard was named as the unanimous NBA bubble MVP.

The momentum the Blazers gained was evident in game one of their first-round matchup as Lillard sparked for 34 points.

"Every game since we've been here has been a playoff game. So that prepared us for a game like this," Lillard said by way of ESPN.

The way Portland’s star has fought for the postseason berth was through a display of long-range shooting. This was in full effect as Lillard was hoisting up three-pointers near the NBA logo that proved to be too much for the Lakers squad.

"It's only one win. I'm happy to be here competing in the playoffs again, but we've got to move on to the next one," Lillard added.

To add to this, other members of Portland also filled up the stat sheet care of Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum stepping up for the Trail Blazers. The three makes from beyond the arc and a 21-point total from McCollum was a huge boost for Lillard in the scoring department. The double-double of Nurkic was also a major help for Portland as he finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

"We had a couple of breakdowns, which you can't have down the stretch, especially against a team like Portland," James shared after the game.

The last time the Lakers and Trail Blazers matched up in the regular season was during the Kobe Bryant memorial game at Staples Center. The emotional night ended with Lillard notching 48 points and 10 assists in a 127-119 victory.

It will be interesting to see how far Lillard’s hot shooting will take Portland and what the Lakers will adjust in order to bounce back in the series.