LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday with a bounce-back win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The 107-98 win at Crypto.com Arena came in the absence of LeBron James, who missed his first game of the season due to left foot soreness.
“It was an overall really good game for our group,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.
L.A. improves their record to 13-11, sitting in the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Here are some takeaways from the Lakers' win over Portland:
Back in the Win Column
Getting back in the win column was what the Lakers needed most to gain ground from a bad stretch, as Redick called it, from their last 10 contests, winning just three games in that span.
The Trail Blazers, who also came into the game on a three-game skid, kept the game close until the latter half of the fourth quarter, where a Lakers run pushed their lead to 20.
The 12 offensive rebounds surrendered, which has been an issue all season, hurt L.A., but their shooting performance helped secure the win, with the team shooting 38% (13-for-34) from three and 46% (38-for-83) overall from the floor.
Three-Headed Monster Powers L.A. to Win
Without James in the lineup, the Lakers needed others to step up—and Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura answered, combining for 81 points with key contributions throughout the game.
“Guys have to step up when we have a guy like Bron out, and guys took on the challenge tonight,” Davis said.
Hachimura ignited the offense in the second quarter, pouring in 14 points as the Lakers dominated Portland, outscoring them 37-17 in the frame. He ended the night with 23 points on an efficient 9-for-13 (69%) shooting performance.
In the second half, Russell carried the momentum, drilling multiple threes in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers maintain their lead. He finished with season highs of 28 points and 14 assists off the bench.
Davis anchored the defense, tallying 11 rebounds and notching a season-high five blocks. Davis led the team with 30 points on 10-for-21 (47%) shooting from the field.
Slow Quarter Starts
A slow start in the third quarter, where the Lakers went scoreless for the first four minutes, allowed the Trail Blazers to stay within striking distance. L.A. was outscored 29-18 in the period, which ended with a halfcourt shot from Portland's Scoot Henderson, cutting the lead to just three going into the fourth.
Going the whole first quarter without making a three led to a slow start to the game, resulting in a 28-20 score at the end of the first quarter.
These types of inconsistencies can be overlooked against a weaker Western opponent, but against a tougher team, they have proven costly in their past 10 games.
The Lakers will have the next four days to recover and practice with zero games on the schedule until Friday, when they face the Timberwolves on the road in Minnesota.
This will be the third time these two teams meet this season, with the series sitting at 1-1.