PORTLAND --- On a night when he wasn't supposed to even play, LeBron James logged 37 minutes and nearly put together a triple-double effort that lifted the visiting Los Angeles Lakers past the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-120, on Saturday night (Sunday morning RP time) at the Moda Center.
Dealing with what was termed as "an aggravated groin injury" the 34 year old four-time MVP was listed as "probable" on game day, but with the purple-and-gold franchise mired in a season-long four-game losing streak, LeBron didn't just answer the bell, he put on his cape and tormented the Blazers with 21 points, seven rebounds and 16 assists.
As good as James was, he needed plenty of help that Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma supplied. Davis finished with 20 points and nine boards while Kyle Kuzma had 24. The Lakers also bench produced a prolific 72 points.
With the win, the Lakers kept their hold of the top spot of the Western Conference with a 25-17 won-lost record. With their four-game dry spell broken, the Lakers now head home to host the Dallas Mavericks this morning at the Staples Center where they are 10-4 for the season.
More than anything, LeBron was pleased with Kuzma's output and told reporters "We want him to be that third scorer for us, consistently get to 18 to 20 points a night and more important to know, it's just the efficiency right now that I love."
The Blazers, meanwhile, hope to regroup after their third straight defeat. They fell to 14-19 and clung to eighth place in the Western Conference standings. They aim to get back on track when they host the Phoenix Suns at home on Monday night (Tuesday morning RP time).
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