PORTLAND, Ore. — For once, it wasn’t about who the Lakers didn’t have.

Although they played their first game without Russell Westbrook, Portland’s roster, gutted by injuries and a flurry of trades, was resorting to rotation minutes from Trenton Watford, Greg Brown III and Keljin Blevins – all players that Blazers coach Chauncey Billups admitted would not be playing under normal circumstances.

But the Lakers, mired in ninth place in the Western Conference, have proven so far that they can sink to the level of anyone they face. And Wednesday night at Moda Center might have been the worst loss of all.

The Lakers fell, 107-105, to the woefully short-handed Trail Blazers, another defeat that carved their flaws into sharp view. Playing lackadaisical defense, throwing the ball all over the court (21 turnovers) and simply lacking the urgency of a team trying to rescue a season, the Lakers kept burrowing the hole they’ve already admitted they’re in. They’re just 3-7 in their last 10 games.

Some of that may be the looming pressure of the NBA trade deadline, which arrives Thursday at noon. While James historically has been stoic about the uncertainty that the trade deadline creates, even he acknowledged how it’s pressed upon them recently.

“Obviously this is something that’s weighing on this group that we’re all trying to get through,” he said. “Almost feels like it’s a fog, just fog in the air. And we’re all trying to see what’s on the other side of it.”

The Lakers choked late, coughing up five turnovers in the last five minutes, while also missing three shots, including layups.

On Portland’s final offensive possession, the Lakers’ defense finally forced the miss they wanted as Justise Winslow’s late 3-point attempt caromed off the rim – only no Laker was there to collect the long rebound, which bounded into Jusuf Nurkic’s hands, forcing the Lakers to foul with seconds remaining.

Anfernee Simons was the killer at the end for a franchise that has been without Damian Lillard, and who traded away C.J. McCollum earlier this week. The 22-year-old scored 29 points, and his last two 3-pointers were back-breakers. He made the pair of free throws with three seconds left that proved to be the difference.

With a final 3-pointer at the buzzer, LeBron James had a game-high 30 points. But the shot itself was meaningless, as the Lakers trudged off the court beneath red and silver streamers that sprang from the rafters for a Portland team that has crashed hard this season and might be entering a long rebuild.

All-Star big man Anthony Davis had a passive night, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Talen Horton-Tucker, widely considered the Lakers’ most likely trade asset, had 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. But there were few sequences when the individual efforts seemed to have any team cohesion.

“We just gotta play with better habits,” Vogel said. “We talked about it. Watched film this morning of the Milwaukee game. The habits of this team haven’t been executed at a high enough level to win at the level we want to win at.”

It was a telling measure of the team on the eve of the NBA’s trade deadline. While they were beaten badly by the defending champion Bucks a night before, failing to stave off a roster populated with inexperienced utility players might have been even more damning.

While it might be evident that the Lakers (26-30) need a trade as much as any team in the league to shake things up, Wednesday’s result offered an uncomfortable new question: What trade can save a season gone this far off course?

Whether it came from being pounded one night before by the unforgiving Bucks, or if it was simply an extension of the lethargy that has gripped them for the last few weeks, the Lakers plodded their way onto the court to start, matching Portland’s 18-point output in the first quarter.

Early on, James was raked across the face by former teammate Ben McLemore. Seemingly stunned, he staggered to the courtside seats where he sat in an empty seat. While James remained in the game and scored a basket on McLemore moments later, his game never seemed as crisp as the level he’s played at over the previous two months. Taking a more passive offensive role, James played more distributor than scorer in the first three quarters, tallying seven assists.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, no one took on the role of rim protector. The Blazers snuck into the dunker spot time after time, taking advantage of the inattentive backside of the Lakers’ defense. Portland – which played just one player, Nurkic, taller than 6-foot-8 – racked up an obscene 58 points in the paint. Notably, the Lakers decided not to play veteran center Dwight Howard, who was available to play after missing two games with back tightness.

The Lakers seemingly made a move in the second quarter, scoring 36 points while their 3-point shooting lit up the Blazers. At halftime, they were 9 for 16 from behind the arc. But between six turnovers each from James and Malik Monk, the offense hit snags and allowed the Blazers to run out for a whopping 28 fast-break points. The Lakers had just four points in transition.

” I take accountability for that,” James said. “It starts with me being a point guard on tonight’s team. And trickles down to everybody else. So take full responsibility for that.”

Davis did not speak to the media after the game.

The Lakers have two days before their next game at Golden State on Saturday, which either could be the first game with a tweaked roster or represent another crack at trying to get the current group back on track. But the loss to Portland didn’t strike a hopeful tone for either option if the Lakers continue to play without urgency.

James claimed not to have lost that thread, even though the team is underachieving to a discouraging degree.

“The mental fatigue is always part of the season. It’s a marathon, it’s a long season, it happens and it’s even more of a fatigue when you’re losing ballgames,” he said. “As far as the mental side for me that never changes. I never get to a point where I’m just out of it.”

In the standings, however, the Lakers have a long way to go to get back in.