LOS ANGELES — LeBron James lifted the Lakers in the new year with a 114-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, scoring the third most points in a game at 40 years old.
With Anthony Davis out of the lineup with a left ankle sprain, emphasizing the needed extra juice from the core. James would start the energy, scoring 14 points with three made 3-pointers in the second quarter.
His momentum carried over for L.A. in the second half, hitting four threes and multiple buckets down the wire to close out the win at Crypto.com Arena over the Blazers.
James finished with 38 points (eight assists) on seven-for-10 from deep and 15-for-25 (60%) overall from the field.
“Just another 38-point game for LeBron,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.
The Lakers' win improves their record to 19-14 with six wins over their last eight games.
Here are takeaways from the Lakers bounce-back win over the Blazers:
Adding to the Record Books at 40
Three days after turning 40, James’ heater performance, knocking down seven threes, earned him the third most points (38) in a game in NBA history for a player 40 years or older.
"I've always been efficient in my career. I just try to continue that when I get on the floor and take great shots, keep my guys involved, and try to get wins," James said on his performance.
The first two games were by Michael Jordan, who scored 43 points on Feb. 21, 2003, and 39 points on March 9, 2003, in his last season in the NBA with the Wizards.
James also tied Jordan for the most 30-point games (562) in NBA history.
Max Christie's Career Night
The Lakers team defense has been uplifted by Max Christie, who has taken the nightly assignment of guarding opposing teams top scorers since being put in the starting lineup.
On a night when they needed production, Christie notched a career-high scoring night with 28 points on five-for-nine from three. He also added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 31 minutes played.
“I thought his career night started with changing the disposition on defense,” Redick said.
Redick mentioned that getting Christie in this situation is big for his development.
Since his insurgence in the starting lineup on Dec. 8, the Lakers have a 7-3 record in 10 games since.
Jackson Hayes and Christian Koloko's Impact
The Lakers' frontcourt of Jackson Hayes and Christian Koloko had to fulfill a 26 and 11 production with Davis out of the lineup.
Hayes returned to action after being out with an ankle injury since late Nov. He immediately made an impact on the first play of the game with a flush from James and blocked a lob on a four-on-one fast break, which sparked a home crowd roar.
Hayes finished with four points, six rebounds and a block in 16 minutes in the starting unit.
Koloko did most of his damage in the first quarter, scoring six of his eight points. He added eight rebounds and three assists in his 16 minutes off the bench.
Redick credited Hayes and Koloko for staying ready, praising Hayes for coming off a DNP and starting against Portland and Koloko for not being in uniform the previous game to contributing when needed.
Next Game
The Lakers will play their second game of back-to-back matchups against the Atlanta Hawks, who L.A. lost to on the road in overtime on Dec 6.
The Hawks hold an 18-16 record and have won five of their last six games.