LeBron James, Austin Reaves carry Luka-less Lakers past Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Lakers have talked a lot about adjusting and adapting to their new normal with All-Star Luka Doncic now in the fold.

But with Doncic in street clothes on Thursday night, sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back set as he continues to recover from a strained calf, the Lakers found themselves in a familiar position.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves, for at least one night, were back carrying the load for the Lakers.

And they were successful. They combined for 72 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots in the Lakers’ 110-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, one night after a disappointing home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

“We needed to be tough tonight and we were tough,” Coach JJ Redick said. “We earned that win.”

James led the way with 40 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot, while Reaves had 32 points, seven assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

“As a staff, we’re talking before the game, not sure going to sleep [Wednesday] night if he’s playing,” Redick said of James. “And getting word [Thursday] afternoon that he was in. He really just defies anything that’s normal. And not just the physical feats and the plays. It’s the mentality.

“He is, I believe I saw the other day, he’s a billionaire. And he’s playing on the second night of a back to back at 40 after 22 years with every fricking record and every accolade. And the kids will say that I’m glazing him. He’s one of the greatest competitors.”

James reached 40 points with a pair of free throws with five seconds left, his second game scoring at least 40 since turning 40 years old in late December.

“I still love the game and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here,” James said. “I don’t have much time left. So, while I’m here in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor. So, why? It’s the love of the game and I have an opportunity now to show my son [Lakers rookie Bronny James] the ranks of how to be a professional in this league.”

James and Reaves combined for 23 points of the team’s 32 points in the fourth quarter, a period the Lakers won after holding a 78-77 edge at the end of the third.

They also made multiple defensive plays down the stretch to help seal the victory, from Reaves taking a charge against Jerami Grant with the Lakers leading 102-98 to James’ strip block against Anfernee Simons one minute later to Reaves having a strip block against Grant down the stretch.

“He’s going to give you every ounce of competitive juice that he has every single night,” Redick said of Reaves. “That’s really what it comes down to. He’s a better athlete than people realize, but he’s sometimes at a disadvantage and that doesn’t stop him from competing.

“He’s been really good on that end of the ball. And we saw that early in preseason. We saw it in September, we saw it in preseason, like, he’s trying to do the right thing every time. That’s easy to coach.”

The Lakers’ struggles with taking care of the ball allowed the Blazers to stay in the game after leading by as many as 18 in the second and 55-47 at halftime.

The Lakers had nine turnovers for 14 Portland points in the third quarter after having nine giveaways for 11 Blazers points in the entire first half. The sloppy start to the second half helped Portland outscore the Lakers 30-23 in the third.

The Lakers finished with a season-worst 24 giveaways for 31 Portland points, but James and Reaves made sure the Lakers avoided a third straight loss.

After Portland tied the score at 81, Reaves made a layup and James made a pair of 3-pointers and a 17-footer over Grant for a 91-84 advantage midway through the fourth.

A Reaves 3-pointer at the 3:23 mark gave the Lakers a 102-94 lead.

They still struggled to take care of the ball, with James and Reaves having late-quarter turnovers that helped the Blazers get within 106-102.

But with the Blazers intentionally fouling, Gabe Vincent made a pair of free throws to put the Lakers up by six with 16.7 seconds left.

Dorian Finney-Smith, starting in place of Doncic, was the only other Laker to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds in 33 minutes. He reached double figures with a putback layup to give the Lakers a 106-98 lead with just under a minute remaining.

“The best way to compete in this league is to play hard,” James said. “You can get through a lot of games if you’re able to just play hard. You’re able to cover up for a lot of mistakes. We had 24 turnovers for 31 points. I had half of those. And because we were still playing hard, we were able to get back in transition on some of those and get some charges.

“It definitely makes up for it when you’re able to cover for one other and you’re able to play hard. It’s going to help us win a lot of ballgames.”

The Blazers were led by Deni Avdija’s 28 points, five assists and four rebounds.

The Lakers shot 23 for 25 (92%) from the free-throw line, while the Blazers were 14 for 21 (67%).