A career night for Max Christie and a dominating performance by LeBron James sealed the win for the Lakers against the Trail Blazers.
Without Anthony Davis in the lineup, LeBron James and Max Christie stepped up to the plate to help the Lakers down the the Blazers on Thursday, 114-106.
LeBron James scored 18 in the first half and ended the game with 38 points on 15-25 shooting with seven 3-pointers. Max Christie had a career game, connecting on five 3-pointers to finish with 28 points.
Austin Reaves pitched in with 15 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. Christian Koloko again had productive minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The dimes were being dished early with LeBron assisting on two dunks, one by Jaxson Hayes and one by Rui. Before Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe knocked down the first 3-pointer of the game, both teams had missed their first long-range attempts. The Blazers took control of the game as the Lakers began to struggle.
Jaxson got into early foul trouble with two and had to be subbed out. With Anthony Davis out, Portland took advantage of LA's lack of defense in the paint, scoring a good chunk of their points there. Christian’s effort was much needed for the Lakers, scoring six points and grabbing huge rebounds.
After the Trail Blazers had gone up by as much as eight, the Lakers closed to within four at the end of the first.
Lakers trail 31-27 heading out of the 1st Q.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 3, 2025
They were cold from the field, hitting 11 of 26 FG's (42.3%), relative to Portland's 12 of 21 (57.1%), but hung around by grabbing 7 offensive boards to POR's 2, including 3 from Christian Koloko.
Portland’s rookie Donovan Clingan opened things up in the second quarter with a reverse layup. The Lakers were playing messy and couldn’t find consistency with their offense. The young Blazers were playing with confidence, feeding off LA’s struggles. Los Angeles looked like a team that desperately needed their defensive anchor.
Austin converted on a midrange shot and Max knocked down two 3-pointers to stop some bleeding. After the Lakers could barely score, they unleashed an 8-1 scoring run. The purple and gold finally retook the lead as LeBron added two 3-pointers. He was up to 18 points and Max was up to 14.
LA had completely snatched the momentum out of Portland’s souls, closing the half on a 10-2 run and a nine-point lead.
Halftime: Lakers 60, Blazers 51
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 3, 2025
LA outscored Portland 33-20 in the second quarter. LeBron scored 14 in the frame and is up to 18 points (7-11 FGs) and 5 assists. AR has 7 points and 9 assists. Max Christie has 14 points (three 3s). Christian Koloko has 6 points and 4 rebounds.
The Trail Blazers opened up the second half playing much better offensively. LeBron was up to 24 points, adding two more 3-pointers to his arsenal of points for the night. It was the LeBron and Max show with Max draining another three.
LeBron was on fire, scoring another three, bringing his total to six. The Lakers grew their lead to double digits, but the scrappy Blazers did not stop fighting and cut the deficit to single digits.
After a slightly slow start offensively for Austin in the first half, he was up to 13 points and knocked down another three. Shake Milton scored four points in the quarter. Despite Portland’s valiant efforts, LA was back up by double digits at the end of the third.
LA have held Portland to 20 and 24 points in the 2nd and 3rd Q's, outscoring them by 17 in those periods after trailing by 4 after 1.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 3, 2025
The lead is 88-75 with 12 minutes to play.
LeBron has 27 points on 15 FGA's with 7 assists, and Reaves has 13 points, 11 assists and 7 boards.
The Lakers opened up the final frame with a turnover. Cam Reddish stole the ball and took it to the other end for a dunk, extending his personal streak of one steal a game to six straight games. The lead had ballooned to 15 for the Lakers.
Anfernee Simmons had taken over in the second half, shooting 71% and scoring 13 of his 17 points in the final two quarters.
LA’s offense began to become stale. They were missing a lot of good shots. Portland was on a 9-2 run to bring the deficit to single digits. The lead went back to double digits fast for LA with LeBron and Max scoring.
Of course, things had to become interesting with the Blazers going on another 9-2 run to make it dangerously close. After the Trail Blazers got to within three, LA withstood the run and started dominating offensively again.
After a big-time three by LeBron, the Lakers were looking like they were in good shape to get the win. With 20 seconds left, the Blazers had closed to within four. LeBron then officially sealed the win with a layup.
LeBron James? LeBron James.
What a lovely sight it is to see Max coming into such great form. The early struggles in the season seem like years away now.
Christian deserves his flowers for how well he’s been playing. His energy and effort don’t stop. He’s become a reliable backup center.
The Lakers’ next game will be Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
