As the basketball cliche goes: defense wins championships. The Los Angeles Lakers showed their defensive acumen in an impressive defensive stop against the Portland Trail Blazers with less than two minutes to go in Game 3.

Danny Green initially blocked Gary Trent Jr.'s triple try. Trent Jr. retrieved the offensive rebound and tried to put up a jumper in the paint, but Anthony Davis swatted away that shot as well. After getting third servings, Trent Jr. kicked the ball out to Damian Lillard for a three, but he was denied once again by Green.

Watch the sequence below:

Lakers fans have to be ecstatic seeing this kind of effort from the Purple and Gold, especially on defense. The Lakers held on in Game 3, 116-108, to take a 2-1 lead in their first round series against Portland.

Along with his two blocks on the evening, Green also made 2-of-4 from beyond the arc to finish with eight points. Those may not be impressive numbers on the surface, but Laker fans will certainly appreciate his great defensive effort near the end.

The 3-and-D guard trended for the wrong reasons after Game 1 with his woeful shooting, especially from beyond the arc.

LeBron James powered the Lakers with a near triple-double, registering 38 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, all while converting 11-of-18 from the field and knocking down four triples. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis also almost notched a triple-double of his own, going for 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, along with two steals and three blocks.

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After trailing by four at half-time, Los Angeles poured it on in the second half with a 40-29 third quarter. Portland tried to hang on, but the Lakers proved to be tough in the end.

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