Dyip, not ROS, paint town red
Blazers spoil LeBron’s Lakers debut
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — LeBron James opened with two thunderous dunks and had 26 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Portland Trail Blazers prevailed 128-119 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
Damian Lillard had 28 points and Nik Stauskas came off the bench to score 24 for Portland, which won its 18th straight home opener to extend an NBA record.
It was the Blazers’ 16th straight victory over the Lakers.
On the court, the focus was all on James. His monster dunks to start stunned the Moda Center crowd while Nike co-founder Phil Knight looked on from courtside seats.
James signed a four-year, $153-million deal with the Lakers as a free agent in the offseason after winning three NBA championship rings and taking his team — Miami and Cleveland — to the NBA Finals for each of the last eight seasons.
The four-time league MVP joined a revamped group that includes veterans Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley, as well as a young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and rookie Moe Wagner.
While the Lakers made big changes in the offseason, the Trail Blazers returned all five starters from a team that finished third in the Western Conference last season — including the nucleus of Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. James’ putback gave Los Angeles an early 25-15 lead. He played just under nine minutes in the opening quarter and led all scorers with 13 points. Portland closed the gap and pulled in front 46-40 on Stauskas’ 3-pointer. Stauskas, who signed with the Blazers as a free agent this past summer, led all Blazers with 16 points in the opening half.
Game Today (Calasiao, Pangasinan) 5 p.m. – TNT KaTropa vs San Miguel
After a long sputtering start, the Columbian Dyip finally got to savor life in the fast lane.
Struggling Columbian pulled off a shock 100-84 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last night to end their miserable losing skid in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Import Akeem Wright, Jerramy King, Rashawn McCarthy, Ronald Tubid and Andreas Cahilig scored in double figures as the Dyip displayed poise despite blowing an 11-point halftime lead to barge into the win column after a 0-9 start in the season-ending conference.
Coach Johnedel Cardel earned his first win since taking over the wheel from Ricky Dandan after the Commissioner’s Cup.
“Medyo natanggal na sa akin yung tinik sa dibdib kasi di na ako sanay manalo,” said Cardel.
Columbian snapped a streak of 24 consecutive defeats in the Governors’ Cup, winning for the first time since the then-Mahindra franchise beat TNT KaTropa, 107-104, last Aug. 26.
The victory also gave the Dyip a rare season sweep of the Elasto Painters, having beaten them in the eliminations of the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup.
Wright had 23 points and 12 rebounds, King continued his outstanding season by posting 18 points, Tubid and McCarthy posted 16 points apiece and Cahilig added 13 for the Dyip.
Terrence Watson produced 18 points and 10 rebounds but Rain or Shine dropped to 2-5 in the tournament.
Rain or Shine, which played for the fifth straight game minus disgruntled center Raymond Almazan, also wasted a golden chance at tying idle San Miguel Beer for eighth place before the latter faces TNT in today’s Petron Saturday Special contest in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
With the help from the Dyip, the Beermen go into the 5 p.m. match carrying solo eighth spot with a 3-4 slate.