The Los Angeles Lakers held on late to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-94.
Los Angeles had a strong two-way start to the game. Portland could not buy a bucket in the first quarter, so the Lakers jumped to a 28-16 lead.
However, the Lakers couldn’t keep their foot on the gas, which allowed the Trail Blazers to respond in the second quarter by dropping 37 points.
Los Angeles’ double-digit lead turned into a deficit early in the second half when CJ McCollum found a rhythm from the field, but L.A. held the Blazers to 19 points in the final quarter to extract a close win without LeBron James.
Here is how the Lakers, now 25-27 on the season, graded individually from the win:
