PORTLAND, Ore. — The Lakers have talked a lot about adjusting and adapting to their new normal with All-Star Luka Doncic now in the fold.
But with Doncic in street clothes on Thursday night, sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers found themselves in a familiar position.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves, for at least one night, were back carrying the load for the Lakers.
And they were successful. They combined for 72 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots in the Lakers’ 110-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, one night after a disappointing home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
James led the way with 40 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot, while Reaves had 32 points, seven assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
The pair combined for 23 points of the team’s 32 points in the fourth quarter, a period the Lakers won after holding a 78-77 edge at the end of the third.
The Lakers’ struggles with taking care of the ball allowed the Blazers to stay in the game after leading by as many as 18 in the second and 55-47 at halftime.
The Lakers had nine turnovers for 14 Portland points in the third quarter after having nine giveaways for 11 Blazers points in the entire first half. The sloppy start to the second half helped Portland outscore the Lakers 30-23 in the third.
The Lakers finished with a season-worst 24 giveaways for 31 Portland points, but James and Reaves made sure the Lakers avoided a third straight loss.
After Portland tied the score at 81, Reaves made a layup and James made a pair of 3-pointers and a 17-footer over Jerami Grant for a 91-84 advantage midway through the fourth.
A Reaves 3-pointer at the 3:23 mark gave the Lakers a 102-94 lead.
They still struggled to take care of the ball, with James and Reaves having late-quarter turnovers that helped the Blazers get within 106-102.
But with the Blazers intentionally fouling, Gabe Vincent made a pair of free throws to put the Lakers up by six with 16.7 seconds left. Reaves also made a trio of clutch defensive plays to prevent Portland from cutting deeper into the lead.
Dorian Finney-Smith, starting in place of Doncic, was the lone other Laker to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds in 33 minutes. He reached double figures with a putback layup to give the Lakers a 106-98 lead with just under a minute remaining.
James reached 40 points with a pair of free throws with five seconds left, his second game scoring at least 40 since turning 40 years old in late December.
Doncic, who had his minutes restriction lifted coming out of the All-Star break, sat out as the team manages his load after the left calf injury that sidelined him for 6½ weeks.
The Blazers were led by Deni Avdija’s 28 points, five assists and four rebounds.
More to come on this story.
Originally Published:
