LOS ANGELES — Ryan Kelley drove the lane for a tiebreaking dunk off an inbounds play with 2 seconds remaining, Jordan Clarkson scored 17 points and Lakers No.1 draft pick D’Angelo Russell scored eight of his 12 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes, leading Los Angeles to a 104-102 preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Russell, the second overall pick in the draft, hit three jumpers during a 2-minute span — the last one with 1:28 remaining to give the Lakers a 98-89 cushion.
Portland responded with a 13-4 run, tying the score on a 3-pointer by Pat Connaughton with 4.8 seconds to go. But Kelly took Jabari Brown’s inbounds pass from the left sideline and soared over Noah Vonleh for the winning points. Portland’s last gasp was a missed 20-footer at the buzzer by Vonleh off an inbounds pass from Omari Johnson.
BACK IN FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS: Portland forward Ed Davis played 17 minutes and had five points in his first game at Staples Center since leaving the Lakers after one season to sign three-year, $20 million contract in July as a free agent. The Blazers are his fourth team in six NBA seasons. “His presence in the paint and his shot-blocking ability was big for us last year,” Scott said. “He’s a very good post defender, and he likes those challenges. He was great in practice — and obviously, in the games, he got better and better for us. But I think we miss Ed in the lockerroom, more than anything. He was just a great guy to be around. So we miss all that from Ed — but you’ve got to move on. He’s moved on, and I’m sure he’s pretty happy in Portland.”
