PORTLAND, Ore. — It was in a moment of triumph that Jared Dudley reached for his mobile device, thumbed to the proper app and typed out this shade-throwing missive: “Have we still not played anybody good yet???????”



The seven question marks made it less of an inquiry and more of a triumphant, crowing statement. Like Russell Crowe in Gladiator. After road wins in Denver, Utah and, on Friday, Portland, the Lakers are ready for their respect now.



“Everybody is just going to say something about us just because we’re the Lakers and we’re winning,” Kyle Kuzma said. “A lot of people are probably jealous of us.”



Dudley’s tweet went out Wednesday after the Lakers stormed into Utah and blew the doors off a Jazz team that was heralded as a preseason favorite for the conference title. So what about now, after the Lakers swept a three-game road trip that was designed to test this ascending squad but instead...