LeBron lifts Lakers past short-handed Blazers
PORTLAND—The Los Angeles Lakers’ high turnover woes and points given off turnovers continued, but 38-year-old LeBron James came to the rescue, lifting the Lakers to a 107-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
The Lakers move to 7–6 on the season and 3–0 in Group A of the in-season tournament. Their next in-season tourney game is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Utah Jazz at 7 p.m.
“We know what’s at stake,” LeBron said about the in-season tournament status for L.A.
In his 21st season in the NBA, LeBron has still shown he can be the best player when he’s on the floor.
“Setting the table not only for himself but his teammates,” head coach Darvin Ham said of LeBron’s impact.
Coming off a loss to Kings where he had a triple-double, LeBron lifted the Lakers with a huge outing, scoring a game-high 35 points on 5-for-9 (55.5%) shooting from three and 12-for-22 (54.5%) from the field. LeBron added 9 assists, 5 rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes of action.
The Lakers positive takeaways came in their shooting numbers, going 41.4% (12-for-29) from three and 49.4% (40-for-81) overall.
Although the Lakers kept their lead margin throughout the night, not allowing a deficit, their 18 turnovers and 21 points allowed off turnovers were a cause for concern.
They have committed 59 turnovers and allowed 57 points on those turnovers in the past three games.
Vs. Blazers: 18 turnovers, 22 points given off turnovers
Vs. Kings: 23 turnovers, 16 points given off turnovers
Vs. Grizzlies: 18 turnovers, 19 points given off turnovers
The Lakers can get away with these challenges against a lower-caliber Blazers team, but against the top teams in the West, they will take advantage of those opportunities and hurt them if they continue this trend.
Anthony Davis had a hot first-half start with five blocks, his final total of the game, but died down the rest and didn’t establish his dominance throughout the matchup. This could be from lingering left adductor/hip spasms he’s been dealing with for weeks.
Davis finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in 34 minutes but struggled from the floor on 8-of-19 (42.1%) finishing.
Although the box score didn’t scream good game, Cam Reddish was everywhere and always active on the defensive end in the Lakers win. Reddish finished with 8 points, three steals, two rebounds, and a block in 30 minutes.
Christian Wood gave the Lakers a huge presence off the bench, notching a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in 19 minutes.
The Lakers’ next game is scheduled for Sunday at home against the Houston Rockets at 6:30 p.m.
