Lakers: LeBron James, Russell Westbrook Bring The Fireworks Against Portland
Finally, a stress-free Los Angeles Lakers victory!
Led by future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles closed out 2021 in style, besting the visiting Portland Trail Blazers at the Crypto.com Arena 139-106. The Lakers' total represented their season high in points scored. The Lakers shot an astronomical 55% from the field. LA also went 19-of-41 (46%) from three-point range. LA also got to the free-throw line seemingly at will, going 26-of-31 (86.7%) from the charity stripe. The Lakers took care of the ball, coughing up only seven turnovers. This also marked the first time the Lakers have won in their City Edition jerseys, for whatever that's worth.
Head coach Frank Vogel returned to the sidelines after what he categorized as an intense bout with COVID-19 and did not disappoint, as LA saw its record improve to 18-19 on the year.
For the second time in three games, Lakers All-Star LeBron James jumped at center and both Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan were healthy scratches. Forward Stanley Johnson, who has made quite the impact on a 10-day hardship extension deal, started at the four.
Also for the second time in three games, James scored 30+ point and led the Lakers to a victory. The 37-year-old was unbelievable, and happy to score inside with a series of athletic plays. James was finally able to take a breather in the fourth quarter, scoring a season-high 43 points (his 67th 40+ point career night) and 14 rebounds in just 29:18 of action. He went 16-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-10 from long range. Today marked the seventh consecutive game in which James scored 30 or more points.
Unlike the Lakers' hard-fought win against a hapless, tanking Houston Rockets team earlier this week, however, this New Year's Eve matchup was a blowout practically from the start. The Lakers started off in control and never relinquished their lead.
James helped propel the club to a quick start. He scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the first quarter alone, as the Lakers bullied the Trail Blazers inside en route to a 43-28 edge at the end of the frame. Carmelo Anthony also enjoyed a sharp-shooting start, scoring nine points in the quarter.
The Lakers maintained a comfortable lead through most of the second quarter, before letting their pedals off the gas a bit at the conclusion of the period. LA led by as many as 20 points in the second quarter before some aggressive activity from All-Star point guard Damian Lillard helped Portland close out the first half with a 9-4 run. The Lakers still led by double digits, 69-54.
In the third quarter, James and starting Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook put on a scoring clinic, combining for 15 of the Lakers' 32 points. Stanley Johnson, Talen Horton-Tucker and Anthony accounted for the rest of Lakers' offense in the third. LA outscored Portland 32-23 in the period.
Westbrook had one of his better games of the season, playing conservatively and in control. In just 30:27, Westbrook notched yet another triple-double, scoring 15 points (on 5-of-10 shooting, though he missed all three of his long-range looks), pulling down 13 boards, and dishing out 12 dimes.
Portland was without several players due to injuries and the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but it's still a credit to LA that the team capitalized on the window and cruised to the easy W. Seven Trail Blazers were in coronavirus protocols: Jusuf Nurkic, Keljin Blevins, Robert Covington, Anfernee Simons, Trendon Watford, Brandon Williams and Cody Zeller. The Trail Blazers were also missing their second-leading scorer, undersized shooting guard CJ McCollum.
The Lakers effectively hounded Lillard all night, holding him to just 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Starting wing Norman Powell, shifted down a spot from small forward to shooting guard in the absence of McCollum, went just 4-of-15 from the field. Former Laker Ben McLemore was the Trail Blazers' high scorer. He had 28 points on 9-of-22 shooting. The team fell to a 13-22 season record and the 14th seed in the West with the loss.
Other efficient offensive contributors for the Lakers were starting small forward Malik Monk (18 points on 6-of-11 shooting), Anthony (16 points, also on 6-of-11 shooting), and Johnson (10 points on just 3-of-4 shooting). All told, the Lakers had seven scorers in double digits.
Frank Vogel wasn't the only Laker clearing COVID-19 protocols tonight. Forward Trevor Ariza, shooting guard Austin Reaves, and wing Kent Bazemore all returned, too. Ariza and Reeves Reaves contributed 10 points (though some of that action came in garbage time) and proved to be a key contributor.
