PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – LeBron James had 28 points and seven assists and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 114-110 Saturday night.
Rajon Rondo gave the Lakers a huge lift off the bench, finishing with 17 points and 10 assists in 25 minutes.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 30 points for Portland.
The Lakers used a 16-0 run in the third quarter to take a 17-point lead. Josh Hart hit a 3-pointer with 9:44 left that gave the Lakers their biggest lead at 95-75, forcing a Portland timeout.
And the timeout might have been just what Portland needed to get back into the game.
The Blazers went on a 22-8 run, cutting the Lakers’ lead to six points with 3:34 left after a layup by Jusuf Nurkic.
Sloppy play once again came back to hurt the Lakers in the fourth quarter, but the Blazers couldn’t get much closer as James and JaVale McGee made crucial baskets in the final two minutes.
Portland shot a 6 for 35 (17 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Lakers had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 overall, but they survived their mistakes.
The Lakers sped to a good start, but the Blazers quickly regained control. Turnovers and second chances fueled a 17-2 run by Portland in the first quarter.
The Lakers bench helped get Los Angeles back into the game in the first half and outscored the Blazers subs 51-26.
