Former Duke basketball sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr. drilled the dagger that put the Portland Trail Blazers over the Los Angeles Lakers in a shocker.
Sports have been back for just about a month, but nothing felt more normal than millions of people glued to their televisions to watch the first major upsets of the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Hours after the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic stunned the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in the Western Conference took center stage with the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
In perhaps the most anticipated series of the first round, Game One did not disappoint as the back-and-forth affair went down to the wire but not before a former Duke basketball standout could put his mark on the outcome.
ALSO READ: Top seven Blue Devil sharpshooters in NBA bubble
As headlines will gravitate to Damian Lillard, and rightly so, it was Gary Trent Jr. who put the final nail in the Lakers’ coffin with a 3-pointer that gave the Trail Blazers a 98-93 lead with 1:15 left to play in regulation.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1295932869013995525?s=20
Portland went on to win 100-93 to take a 1-0 series lead over the Western Conference favorites.
Trent Jr. did not have his perfect shooting stroke with him on Tuesday night, going just 2-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-4 from 3-point range, but the former Blue Devil was ready when his number was called at the end of the game.
ALSO READ: Duke product to see giant opportunity once NBA resumes
The second-year player also accumulated two rebounds in addition to his five points in the victory.
Former Blue Devil Quinn Cook did not see the floor on the other side for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Game Two between the Lakers and Trail Blazers will tipoff on Thursday, August 20 at 9:00pm EST on ESPN inside the NBA’s bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.