Lakers suffer 40th loss of season before All-Star break

REPORTING FROM PORTLAND, Ore. â€”  These are the days when this collection of Lakers is mostly about becoming record-breakers.

And not in a good way.

By dropping a 102-86 decision to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Wednesday night, the Lakers made history by losing a franchise-worst 11 consecutive games on the road, and they lost Nick Young to a strained tendon in his left foot in the process.

The Lakers surpassed the record held by the 1963-64 Lakers and the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers, putting up little resistance in their final game before the All-Star break this weekend.

The Lakers lost their sixth consecutive game, falling apart in the third quarter, going down by 23 points and watching Young go down as well.

Portland, which got 20 points from Wesley Matthews, 18 points and 12 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge and 15 points and eight assists from Damian Lillard, swept all three regular-season games against the Lakers for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

“They got much more aggressive offensively and defensively as well,� Lakers Coach Byron Scott said of Portland’s second half.

“And that’s what normally happens. Teams have been able to turn it up a notch and we haven’t been able to match that intensity. And that’s when it kind of gets away from us and that’s exactly what they did in the third quarter.�

Young was injured after he committed a foul on Steve Blake with 0.2 of a second left in the third.

Young sat on the bench for a few seconds before he limped to the Lakers’ locker room with trainer Gary Vitti in tow, never to return after scoring nine points on four-for-14 shooting.

Young will have eight days to rest and get treatment on his injury before the Lakers play again.

“It should be all right over the break,� Young said. “Good time to get a little rest and get away. “

The Lakers will take a week off before practicing next Wednesday and Thursday in preparation to play the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 20 at Staples Center.

And with 29 regular-season games left, more history appears be on the horizon for this Lakers team.

They have a 13-40 record (24.5%) and are on course to have the worst record in franchise history.

Last year’s Lakers under Coach Mike D’Antoni went 27-55 (32.9%), the worst record in Los Angeles

history. The 1957-58 Minneapolis squad went 19-53 (26.4%).

But for now, the Lakers just want to get away for the All-Star break.

“I think the benefit is just getting away from basketball for a little while,� Scott said. “You can go on vacation and go wherever you’re going to go, try to just have a good time. Hopefully you reflect a little bit on the first 50 games and you come back with a sense of purpose as well.�

Follow Broderick Turner on Twitter @BA_Turner