LeBron James had a huge double-double against Portland Trail Blazers, guided the Lakers to victory.
Los Angeles Lakers were having a mediocre season as they welcomed another struggling Western Conference team – the Portland Trail Blazers for the final match of 2021. LeBron James took full advantage of Portland’s problems and scored game-high 43 points in the Lakers victory.
In the 37th match of the season for the Lakers and the last fixture before the NBA bids goodbye to the year 2021, LeBron James made sure that the game will be remembered by his performance once again.
LeBron started the game at the Center position again for the Lakers. The Trail Blazers were without any renowned centre in their lineup, allowing LeBron to dominate the rim. The Lakers are still without Anthony Davis and DeAndre Jordan’s form is not at par for the team.
LeBron was in the Center position for 2nd time in his career. He said, “I’m in a damn good zone right now, and I just want to continue that as long as possible, I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to help this team win, man.”
Portlanders are facing the Covid-19 issue since the start of December, where they had dozens of players and coaches moving in-out of the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocol. Trail Blazers got Ben McLemore and Dennis Smith back from the isolation. But the other 2 players – Anfernee Simons and Brandon Williams were sent to isolation after being tested positive
LeBron James vs Portland Trail Blazers
The game started well for the Lakers and they took an early 20 point lead in 1st half only. The Lakers’ plan with the smaller team and playing Bron at the centre worked well for them. LeBron James seemed pretty happy to let others handle the dribble for a change.
Portland Trail Blazers were off with their offence in the game. Star Damian Lillard scored 12 points for 1st half, and other players couldn’t cross the double-digit mark. Only Ben McLemore provided some flair after his return to the game scoring 20 points in 1st half.
The Lakers continue to pile up the lead in 2nd half. Interestingly, Portland never levelled the Lakers score in the entire game, a rare occurrence for the Lakers this season.
LeBron James, who was on 27 points at halftime for the Lakers, played for just 12 minutes in the second half. But his production on the court was still lethal. He managed to score 16 more points in 2nd half finishing the game with 43 points.
His tally of 43 points is the second-highest individual score for 37+ year old, top of the list is LeBron’s dear friend Kobe Bryant who scored 60 in his farewell game. LeBron James’ complete stats for the game are 43 points 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Russell Westbrook also had a triple-double again with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in the game. On-contract Johnson played well with his defensive production n the floor. The Lakers are 7th in the Western Conference now with an 18-19 record.
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