The Los Angeles Lakers held the lead for much of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, but as the fourth quarter was winding down, the Lakers suddenly found themselves in a back-and-forth battle. Wesley Johnson finished the game with 14 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting from the field in 36 minutes, including the go-ahead basket with six seconds remaining in the game.
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Johnson also added seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, all while guarding Blazers’ power forward LaMarcus Aldridge down the stretch. Despite lacking a size advantage, Johnson managed to force Aldridge into rushed shots. Following Kent Bazemore’s ill-advised attempt to split a double-team, which resulted in the ball being knocked out of bounds, the officials determined the Lakers would retain possession of the ball. Coming off a back screen set by Jordan Farmar, Johnson beat Aldridge by a step and Bazemore delivered a perfectly-placed pass to Johnson.
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