At 1:01 of the third quarter, Robert Williams III blocked Luka Dončić’s 31-foot 3-pointer. Four seconds later, after Scoot Henderson secured the defensive rebound, Williams finished a running dunk on Henderson’s assist. It was a tidy bit of basketball in a game that otherwise preferred fireworks.
Portland beat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-129 Tuesday, and the former Texas A&M big man provided the useful work between the Trail Blazers’ guard scoring bursts. Williams finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block in 20:54. He shot 6 for 8, made both free throws and committed no turnovers.
The performance needs the correct frame. Los Angeles scored 129 points. Dončić had 41 points and nine assists, Austin Reaves added 26, and the Lakers shot 56.3% from the field. Williams helped Portland win an offensive exchange; he did not turn the evening into a defensive clinic.
Portland’s perimeter players supplied the louder production. Ja Morant scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Deni Avdija added 23 points, nine assists and four 3-pointers. Damian Lillard scored 21 while making four 3-pointers, and Jrue Holiday contributed 22 on 8-for-12 shooting. Portland shot 59% overall and made half of its 36 attempts from behind the arc.
That is why Williams’ role is easy to misread. He was not asked to carry the offense, and Portland did not need another high-volume scorer. It needed someone to turn loose possessions into useful ones, keep the ball moving and finish close to the rim when teammates supplied the setup.
His first-quarter stint offered all three. Williams scored on a Morant alley-oop, stole the ball from a bad pass by Sandro Mamukelashvili and later converted a layup assisted by Holiday. He also collected a defensive rebound after Reaves missed a free throw and another after Dončić missed a 3-pointer.
Those plays did not dominate the box score, but the defensive boards finished those Lakers possessions with Portland in control of the ball.
The second quarter supplied a cleaner illustration of his connective value. Williams grabbed an offensive rebound at 4:34, then assisted Holiday’s 3-pointer four seconds later, giving Portland a 58-54 lead. He followed with another alley-oop from Morant.
Four seconds separated his offensive board from Holiday’s basket. Williams could contribute to the scoring without taking the shot himself, then supply the finish when Morant set him up.
The third-quarter block against Dončić mattered because it became offense immediately. Henderson’s rebound sent Portland the other way, and Williams’ running dunk made the score 100-102. At the quarter’s end, Williams dunked again after Holiday’s steal, but the basket made it 102-103, leaving Portland one point behind.
Those two dunks accounted for his four points in the quarter. The Lakers retained a narrow lead despite his contributions.
