MIAMI (AFP) – LeBron James finished with 30 points and 10 assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers roll over the Portland Trail Blazers, 135-115, in Game Four of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.
Anthony Davis tallied 18 points, five rebounds and five assists before leaving the contest in the third quarter with back spasms as the top-seeded Lakers seized a 3-1 lead in the series.
”I am proud of my team, the way we played tonight,” said James.
The Lakers wore special black and yellow-trimmed ”Black Mamba” jerseys to remember former Laker great Kobe Bryant who died, along with his daughter and seven others, in a helicopter crash seven months ago.
Sunday would have marked Bryant’s 42nd birthday.
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee 121, Orlando 106
(Milwaukee leads series 3-1)
Miami 99, Indiana 87
(Miami wins series 4-0)
Western Conference
Oklahoma City 117, Houston 114
(Series tied 2-2)
Los Angeles Lakers 135, Portland 115
(Los Angeles leads series 3-1)
”I am extremely blessed and honored … to continue to remember Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant and all the fallen people who were part of that tragic incident,” said James.
Bryant wore No. 24 for his last 10 seasons and No. 8 before that with the Lakers.
James said at one point in the first half he glanced up at the scoreboard and noticed they were ahead 24-8.
”When I looked and saw 24-8, I was like OK, he’s here in the building,” James said of Bryant.
Portland star Damian Lillard also exited in the third quarter with a right knee injury. He was already nursing a dislocated finger and finished with just 11 points in 27 minutes.
The Lakers can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win in game five on Wednesday.
In the Eastern Conference first round, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and Khris Middleton added 18 of his 21 in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks dominated late to down the Orlando Magic, 121-106.
The Bucks, owners of the best record in the regular season, took a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series, with game five on Wednesday in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo added 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, who are trying to win their first NBA title since 1971.
Wesley Matthews scored 12 points and Brook Lopez 10 for Milwaukee.
Middleton, who averaged just 11 points per game in the first three playoff games on 12-of-37 shooting, said Antetokounmpo told him to ”shoot until your arms fall off”.
In another East contest, Goran Dragic scored 23 points and the fifth-seeded Miami Heat completed a first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers with a 99-87 win.
Tyler Herro tallied 16 points and Bam Adebayo had 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Heat, who reached the second round for the first time in four years.
Victor Oladipo had 25 points and Myles Turner finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who have dropped four consecutive playoff series to Miami since 2012.
Miami’s reserves outscored Indiana’s depleted bench 38-3.
In the West, Oklahoma City erased a 15-point deficit to record their second straight win with a 117-114 victory over the Houston Rockets. The series is tied 2-2.
