Lakers staffer stops Blazers' Robert Williams from taking game ball for Jrue Holiday

The Lakers' 124-118 win over Portland on Friday night ended with a small dispute at midcourt. According to the NY Post, which cited reporting from Jason Quick of The Athletic, Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III picked up the game ball after the final buzzer so he could give it to teammate Jrue Holiday. A Lakers staff member stopped him and asked for it back.

Williams had a reason. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Holiday hit a 3-pointer that moved him past Steve Nash on the career scoring list and into the NBA's top 100 all-time. HoopsHype reported that Williams grabbed the ball after Portland's final 68-foot heave went behind the basket. Holiday finished the night with 12 points and now has 17,493 for his career. "Had to show him respect. He's the OG," Williams told The Athletic.

The staffer had a reason too. Williams said he was told the ball had to be turned in to the NBA. He also admitted the mistake was his. He said he was taught to head straight to the locker room once he has the ball, and he forgot to do that this time. Williams also didn't think the souvenir mattered much to Holiday. He said Holiday probably didn't even know he had reached the milestone. Holiday had seven assists in 31 minutes along with his 12 points.

The ball dispute was a footnote to a strong night for Los Angeles. The Post reported that Luka Doncic scored 50 points for the second time this season. The Lakers have now won four straight, and the result gave Portland its second loss of the season.

What it means for Sunday in Detroit

The win also evened the season series with Portland, which beat the Lakers 136-129 at home earlier this season. Los Angeles is 8-2 and has scored at least 116 points in each game of the winning streak, averaging just over 127. Over the full season, the Lakers average 122.0 points and allow 114.3. Their two losses came against the Blazers and at Golden State, where they were held to 95 in a 112-95 loss. They are 3-1 on the road so far, with wins at Utah, the Clippers and Sacramento.

Sunday's game at Detroit (NBA TV, Spectrum Sports Net) starts a trip east, and the market expects it to be the Lakers' hardest test in a while. The Pistons are favored at -167 on Novig, and the spread is Detroit -4.5 at -102 on both sides. Los Angeles is +160 on Novig. The best Lakers price among the 12 venues on our board is +162 at FanDuel, so the venues are only two cents apart on the underdog side. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 2.6% to 5.1%.

The total is 221.5, with the over at +104 and the under at -108 on Novig. BetRivers has the under at 222.5 for -110. That number is about 22 points below what the Lakers have averaged with the Pistons' share added on top, which suggests the market expects Detroit to slow the game down. Follow the season on our Lakers team page.