LeBron James, Austin Reaves power Lakers to win over Blazers

The Lakers ended their two-game losing streak with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers behind LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

Shorthanded and in need a streak-snapping win, the Lakers were carried by LeBron James and Austin Reaves on Thursday. The pair combined for 72 points and willed the Lakers to a 110-102 win.

LeBron ended with 40 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, but did turn it over 11 times to tie his career high. Austin Reaves had 32 points to go with his seven assists. No other player reached double figures in scoring until the final minute of the fourth quarter.

Jaxson Hayes pitched in with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. Dorian Finney-Smith went 2-5 from behind the arc and scored 10 points. It was a rough game for the bench with only Trey Jemison III (six) and Gabe Vincent (seven) scoring.

The first points for both teams came from the free throw line. It was a cold first few minutes until Portland’s Donovan Clingan made a hook shot. Austin then made a shot and was fouled, completing the and-one.

LeBron connected with Jaxson for one of their usual alley-oops. LeBron played with energy, trying to get things going for the team. Portland fouled Austin quite a few times and he was converting on all his free throws.

After both teams failed on what would’ve been high-flying dunks, Jaxson converted on an assist by Gabe. The Lakers allowed the Blazers multiple opportunities to make shots with their inability to box out and grab rebounds.

Trey scored four quick points off the bench. Austin drained a 3-pointer as the quarter was starting to wind down. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up 13.

LeBron drove to the basket for a layup to open up the scoring in the second quarter. JJ Redick was awarded a technical foul for some choice words after a non-foul call for the Lakers.

The footwork was on full display for LeBron, working around the defender for a scoop off the window for a layup. Jaxson spotted a cutting LeBron and passed to him for a dunk.

A once 18-point lead for LA started slowly slipping away. The Blazers were on a 16-5 scoring run and the lead for the Lakers dipped to single digits with 2:47 left in the half.

The Lakers were shooting 43.6% from the field and the Blazers were shooting 35%.

Both teams traded baskets with Portland inching closer, but Los Angeles withstood the pressure to lead by eight at halftime.

The second half started all over the place. The Lakers committed a few turnovers and missed some shots. Los Angeles’ offense was pretty good, though, with Austin and LeBron doing the brunt of the scoring.

After a few attempts in the first half, LeBron finally made his first 3-pointer. LA’s turnovers started haunting them again as it led to the Blazers cutting the Laker lead to six, forcing a timeout by Redick.

Fourteen straight points from Deni Avdija and a 12-2 Portland run made it a two-point game. Gabe knocked down a midrange shot to stop some bleeding.

A sloppy lob attempt from the Blazers led to the Lakers completing an impressive lob from Austin to Rui. Portland answered back with a 3-pointer. Although LA was shooting better in the quarter, all the momentum seemed to be with the Blazers.

LeBron drained a much-needed 3-pointer before Shaedon Sharpe knocked one his own as the Lakers led by just one. Gabe converted a 3-pointer to give the Lakers some cushion. Toumani Camara responded with a long-range effort to make it a one-point game at the end of the third.

Dorian drained a triple to start the final frame. LeBron was up to nine turnovers of the team's 14 in total. Austin threw a shot high off the glass for the layup.

LeBron had started to cook once more, helping keep the momentum in LA’s favor until Anfernee Simmons drained a 3-pointer. LeBron was unstoppable, converting on his signature fadeaway shot, forcing a timeout from Portland. The Lakers were on a 10-3 scoring run and were up by seven.

Austin stole the ball and took it straight to the basket for a layup. LeBron threw up a floater, adding to an impressive scoring run for the Lakers.

At the halfway point of the final frame, LA was up eight. Austin was fouled from behind the arc and went 2-3 from the charity stripe. A quick 8-2 run from the Blazers cut a 10-point lead for LA in half.

The Lakers missed two 3-pointers in a row, but Austin rectified that, making one of his own. With two and a half to play, it was a four-point game. Austin turned the ball over, but made up for it by taking a charge on the ensuing fastbreak.

Austin’s defense gave the Lakers a chance with a jump ball, and then he answered the call again with two clutch free throws. With under a minute remaining, Dorian had a major putback off a missed shot by Austin.

Free throws from Gabe and LeBron sealed the win.

Key Takeaways:

Los Angeles allowing teams that they should be beating by a wide margin to get back into a game and have an actual shot at stealing a win is not the recipe for success. It’s the second half of the season, seeding is important now for the playoff picture. They have to take care of the lower teams from the first minute to the last minute of the game.

The Lakers’ next game will be Saturday against the Denver Nuggets at 5:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.