Lakers survive past Blazers thanks to Davis’ big night.
After coming off an eight-point loss over the Hawks, the Lakers’ desperately needed a win in tonight’s matchup against the Trail Blazers. Despite being without their consistent player in LeBron James for the 4th straight game, the Lakers were able to come out with a win, besting Portland 99–94 to snap a three-game losing skid, improving their record to 25–27.
After having a back and forth battle throughout the contest, the Lakers were able to survive due to Portland’s woes on offense, who shot 36% (35-for-98) overall from the floor to the Lakers 42% (33-for-78).
A big part of tonight’s win came from the emergence outing from Anthony Davis, showing zero sign of being hindered, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 55% (10-for-18) shooting, adding 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 36 minutes of action.
Davis spoke on trying to get back to his old self, saying: “Playing with a lot of energy, playing till exhaustion. Not trying to lose the game.”
The only other Laker who had any impact was the 37-year-old Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, scoring his first ten points in the first quarter, finishing with 24 points on 67% (8-for-12) shooting overall, knocking down five threes as he finished 83% (5-for-6) from behind the arc.
After the win, Davis spoke on Carmelo, highlighting his impact on the floor, saying: “He’s been great. He’s been helping me all year, especially in the post (he’s been a dominant post player) he’s always talking. About what he thinks we should do, and his shot-making has been off the charts.”
The Lakers’ next matchup comes at home against the 26–27 Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow night in their second home game in a four-game stretch.