The Los Angeles Lakers just hit an early season low point, giving up a shocking 136 points to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. This wasn’t just a bad game, it was a dismal defensive performance, leading to a 132.0 defensive rating which lands them in the fourth percentile of all 2026-27 showings so far. They opened the year with a stingy display against the Golden State Warriors, but since then, the defense has been crumbling.
Kessler Takes the Heat, But Says It’s Not Acceptable
After that rough outing, interior anchor Walker Kessler didn’t mince words. He put the blame squarely on his own shoulders, telling reporters, “I got to personally be a lot better on the defensive side. I pride myself on kind of being the leader on the defense and I didn’t perform tonight.” That’s the kind of accountability you want to hear, especially when things go sideways. But Kessler also pointed out the frustrating truth: they scored almost 130 points, which is “pretty efficient,” yet still lost. His conclusion? “Giving up almost 140 is not acceptable.” You can feel the frustration in that statement, because it truly shouldn’t happen.
It’s More Than Just One Guy on Defense
While Kessler was tough on himself, the truth is, this wasn’t a one-man show of defensive struggles. He admittedly had some trouble with pick-and-roll positioning and rotations against Portland’s top-ranked offensive attack, but a lot of other Lakers were struggling too. The Blazers were blowing past the initial line of defense, forcing Los Angeles into constant rotation and leaving them exposed for open threes or easy finishes inside. Head coach JJ Redick recognized the team-wide breakdown, acknowledging they “just got broken down a lot.” He emphasized that “game plan discipline, [know your personnel] discipline wasn’t where it needs to be.” Redick sees it as an early season learning lesson for both players and coaches, a chance to improve the scheme and execution.
So, what’s next for the purple and gold? They’re back on the court Wednesday for a back-to-back, facing the Clippers. The good news is the Clippers’ offense is currently ranked 20th in the league, so it shouldn’t present as grueling of a test as the Blazers did. Regardless, this matchup is a critical chance to bounce back and fix some of those recurring defensive problems that ultimately sunk them in their first loss of the season. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m. Can they tighten things up, or will the defensive woes continue? This next game is huge.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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