Lakers vs Trail Blazers Final Score: LeBron, Christie powerful way to win

On January 3, 2025By Littum

Without Anthony Davis in the lineupLeBron James and Max Christie stepped up to the plate to help the Lakers down the Blazers on Thursday, 114-106.

LeBron James scored 18 in the first half and finished the game with 38 points on 15-25 shooting with seven 3-pointers. Max Christie had a career game, making five 3-pointers and finishing with 28 points.

Austin Reaves chipped in with 15 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. Christian Koloko again had productive minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds.

The pennies were served early with LeBron assisting on two dunks, one by Jaxson Hayes and one by Rui. Before Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe knocked down the game’s first 3-pointer, both teams had missed their first long-range attempts. The Blazers took control of the game as the Lakers began to struggle.

Jaxson got into early foul trouble with two and had to be subbed out. With Anthony Davis out, Portland took advantage of LA’s lack of defense in the paint and scored a good portion of their points there. Christian’s effort was much needed for the Lakers, scoring six points and grabbing huge rebounds.

After the Trail Blazers went up by as much as eight, the Lakers closed to within four at the end of the first.

Lakers trail 31-27 on the way out of the 1st Q.

They were cold from the field, hitting 11 of 26 FGs (42.3%), compared to Portland’s 12 of 21 (57.1%), but hung around by grabbing 7 offensive boards to POR’s 2, including 3 from Christian Koloko.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) 3 January 2025

Portland rookie Donovan Clingan opened things up in the second quarter with a reverse layup. The Lakers played messy and couldn’t find consistency with their offense. The young Blazers played with confidence and fueled LA’s struggles. Los Angeles looked like a team that desperately needed their defensive anchor.

Austin converted on a mid-range shot and Max knocked down two 3-pointers to stop the bleeding. After the Lakers could barely score, they unleashed an 8-1 run. The purple and gold finally regained the lead as LeBron added two 3-pointers. He was up to 18 points and Max was up to 14.

LA had completely snatched the momentum out of Portland’s souls, closing the half on a 10-2 run and a nine-point lead.

Halftime: Lakers 60, Blazers 51

LA outscored Portland 33-20 in the second quarter. LeBron scored 14 in the frame and is up to 18 points (7-11 FGs) and 5 assists. AR has 7 points and 9 assists. Max Christie has 14 points (three 3s). Christian Koloko has 6 points and 4 rebounds.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) 3 January 2025

The Trail Blazers opened the second half playing much better offensively. LeBron was up for 24 points and added two more 3-pointers to his arsenal of points for the night. It was the LeBron and Max show, with Max draining another three.

LeBron was on fire and scored another three, bringing his total to six. The Lakers extended their lead to double digits, but the tough Blazers didn’t stop fighting and cut the deficit to single digits.

After a bit of a slow start offensively for Austin in the first half, he was up for 13 points and knocked down another three. Shake Milton scored four points in the quarter. Despite Portland’s valiant effort, LA was back up by double digits at the end of the third.

LA has held Portland to 20 and 24 points in the 2nd and 3rd Qs, outscoring them by 17 in those periods after trailing by 4 after the 1st.

The lead is 88-75 with 12 minutes left.

LeBron has 27 points on 15 FGAs with 7 assists and Reaves has 13 points, 11 assists and 7 boards.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) 3 January 2025

The Lakers opened the final frame with a turnover. Cam Reddish stole the ball and took it to the other end for a dunk, extending his personal steal streak to six straight games. The lead had ballooned to 15 for the Lakers.

Anfernee Simmons had taken over in the second half, shooting 71% and scoring 13 of her 17 points in the final two quarters.

LA’s offense was starting to get stale. They were missing a lot of good shots. Portland went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to single digits. The lead quickly went back to double digits for LA, with LeBron and Max scoring.

Of course, things were going to get interesting with the Blazers going on another 9-2 run to make it dangerously close. After the Trail Blazers got within three, LA resisted the run and began to dominate offensively again.

After a big three by LeBron, the Lakers looked to be in good shape to win. With 20 seconds left, the Blazers had closed within four. LeBron then officially sealed the win with a layup.

Key takeaways:

LeBron James? LeBron James.

What a lovely sight to see Max getting in such good shape. The early season games seem years away now.

Christian deserves his flowers for how well he has played. His energy and efforts do not stop. He has become a reliable backup center.

The Lakers’ next game will be Friday vs Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.