The Los Angeles Lakers got back in the win column on Friday night when the beat the Portland Trail Blazers 107-95 on the road.
The game was a part of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament with the Lakers now improving to 3-0 in group play, setting themselves up to make the knockout rounds with just one more win.
To no surprise, it was LeBron James who led the Lakers to the win as he poured in one of his best performances on the season, finishing with 35 points, five rebounds, nine assists and two steals. LeBron was very efficient from the field, making 13-of-22 field goals and 5-of-9 3-point attempts.
Coming off a bad loss to the Sacramento Kings, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham commended James for setting the tone for L.A. in the win over Portland, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Just a no nonsense approach from start to finish. We said before the game that we wanted to attack each possession on both sides of the ball. Obviously they offensive rebounded the ball very, very well, at an extremely high level. Obviously that’s an area we need to continuously work on to get better at and improve at. We play really great defense and it’s kind of deflating to see a team get second and third opportunities. But having said that, we’re disappointed a little bit, but never wavered and kept going, never got discouraged. But Bron was leading the charge, setting the table not only for himself but for his teammates.”
Even in his 21st season and on the verge of turning 39 years old, James continues to be one of the best players in the NBA on a night-to-night basis.
LeBron has played in 12 of the Lakers’ first 13 games, averaging 25.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 57.2% from the field and 39.7% from 3-point range.
Even though James is still capable of dominating nightly as he has so far, the hope is that other guys will be able to take on a bigger load moving forward so he can stay fresh and healthy going into the playoffs. If he is able to do that, then the Lakers will be a very scary team given his strong play and IQ.
James: Lakers know what’s at stake during In-Season Tournament games
James and the Lakers have been at their best so far this season during the In-Season Tournament. Not only are the Lakers 3-0 in group play, but they also have the best point differential in the league at plus-42. The reason for this, according to LeBron, is that they know what’s at stake in the tournament and want to win it all.
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