LOS ANGELES — For as poorly as the Los Angeles Lakers shot the ball in the first half, Luka Dončić's buzzer-beater might serve as a wake-up call.

Dončić got the ball off a Walker Kessler rebound with six seconds left before halftime, dribbled up to the top of the opposite key and launched a 62-foot Hail Mary that he practices religiously. Maybe that's why it looked good coming out of his hand.

The Crypto.com Arena crowd − including Bruce Springsteen − could hardly contain their excitement as the ball sailed through the air, and erupted as it banked in to send the Lakers into the locker room with just their fourth made 3 in 23 attempts, giving them some much-needed momentum as they cut the Portland Trail Blazers' lead to seven points after trailing by as many as 16 in the second quarter.

The Lakers' uncharacteristic offensive struggles on Friday night, however, haven't seemed to rub off on Dončić. He leads the team with 20 points on 43.8% shooting to go along with two assists and two rebounds. He's the only Laker in double figures; Walker Kessler and Austin Reaves are closest to him with eight points apiece.