After ending 2024 on a sour note, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to get back on track when they hosted the Portland Trail Blazers to kick off 2025.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent, among others, but they still managed to deal with the hapless Trail Blazers, earning a 114-106 victory to improve to 19-14 on the season.
Jaxson Hayes started in place of Davis, returning from his long absence due to a sprained ankle. He started the scoring with a dunk as LeBron James organized the Lakers' offense early to take an 8-5 lead.
The Trail Blazers responded with a 6-0 run after a timeout before Austin Reaves got on the board with a 3-pointer.
Dorian Finney-Smith came off the Lakers bench for the second straight game and made his first triple. Christian Koloko also provided good minutes at the start of the match thanks to his activity on the offensive glass. LA, however, struggled to keep Shaedon Sharpe out of the paint and was trailing 31-27 at the end of the first quarter.
Portland extended its lead to seven early in the second quarter, although Max Christie quickly responded with back-to-back triples. Christie then completed a three-point play to give the Lakers the lead. James joined Christie on the deep action as LA closed the half strong to take a 60-51 lead into the locker room.
Similar to the end of the first half, Christie and James made shots in the third quarter to push the lead to double digits. It was those two and Reaves who carried the majority of the offensive load for the Lakers, who also began to lock down defensively.
After a strong third quarter from the Lakers, they entered the fourth with their largest lead of the night at 88-75.
Anfernee Simons made some tough shots to keep the game from getting out of Portland's reach. With the lead reduced to eight midway through the fourth, JJ Redick called a timeout to give his team some breathing space.
The Lakers couldn't keep the Trail Blazers off the free throw line, allowing the game to get tight down the stretch.
LA's lead fell to three before James and Christie connected for layups. James then planted the final dagger in Portland with a last-minute move to put it out of reach and secure the victory.
What's next for the Lakers
The Lakers will return to the court Friday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a back-to-back at Crypto.com Arena.
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