PORTLAND, Ore. — It wasn’t a case of deja vu, because the situation the Lakers were in on Monday night was eerily similar to exactly one week ago.

They were once again down most of their ball-handlers against a stingy Portland Trail Blazers team – with Marcus Smart replacing Austin Reaves (groin soreness) as the team’s primary ball-handler.

But unlike a week ago, when they needed every bit of Reaves’ 41-point performance to make the game competitive, the Lakers weren’t over-reliant on one player in their 123-115 victory at the Moda Center.

It was the steady scoring and interior presences from Deandre Ayton (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (28 points on 10-of-15 shooting) that kept the Lakers’ offense afloat even as the Blazers cranked up their defensive pressure.

It was the d

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