After ending 2024 on a low note, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to get back on track when they hosted the Portland Trail Blazers to kick off 2025.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent, among others, but they still were able to take of business against the hapless Trail Blazers, earning a 114-106 win to improve to 19-14 on the season.
Jaxson Hayes got the start in Davis’ place, returning from his own lengthy absence due to an ankle sprain. He got the scoring started with a dunk as LeBron James had the Lakers’ offense organized early to jump out to an 8-5 lead.
The Trail Blazers responded with a 6-0 run after a timeout before Austin Reaves got on the board with a 3-pointer.
Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench for the Lakers for the second straight game and made his first triple. Christian Koloko also provided good minutes early with his activity on the offensive glass. L.A. struggled to keep Shaedon Sharpe out of the paint though and as a result trailed 31-27 at the end of the first quarter.
Portland extended its lead to seven early in the second quarter, although Max Christie quickly responded with back-to-back triples. Christie then completed a three-point play to give the Lakers the lead. James joined Christie on the action from deep as L.A. closed the half strong to take a 60-51 lead into the locker room.
Similar to the end of the first half, Christie and James came out firing in the third quarter to stretch the lead to double digits. It was those two and Reaves that were carrying a majority of the offensive load for the Lakers, who also started to lock in defensively as well.
After a strong third quarter by the Lakers, they went into the fourth with their largest lead of the night at 88-75.
Anfernee Simons was making some tough shots to keep the game from getting out of reach for Portland. With the lead being cut to eight midway through the fourth, JJ Redick called timeout to give his team a breather.
The Lakers couldn’t keep the Trail Blazers off the free throw line, allowing the game to get tight going into the final stretch.
L.A.’s lead got down to three before James and Christie each found each other for layups. James then stuck the final dagger in Portland with a trip in the last minute to put it out of reach and secure the win.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will return to the court on Friday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a back-to-back at Crypto.com Arena.
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