The Portland Trail Blazers entered Game 5 of their first round series versus the Los Angeles Lakers like they had so many contests during the 2019-20 season: severely undermanned due to decimation by injury.
But the 2019-20 Trail Blazers also made a habit of refusing to quit even in the face of long odds, which was the more important trait on display Saturday night.
Despite having just nine players in uniform, the Trail Blazers, who all wore headbands to honor the passing of Clifford Robinson, gave the one-seed Lakers all they could handle for three and a half quarters before finishing their season with a 131-122 loss at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World of Sports campus at the Walt Disney World Resort outside of Orlando.