NBA superstar LeBron James scored 40 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-102 on Thursday night.
The Lakers were without star new signing guard Luka Doncic, who missed the game as he continues to recover from a strained calf.
Deni Avdija led Portland with 28 points.
NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️
▪️ DEN wins 9th straight, moves to #2 in West
▪️ Top 5 in East (CLE, BOS, NYK, IND, MIL) all winDownload the NBA App for more: https://t.co/pBKIAWOrdI pic.twitter.com/5HBdA3DyDy
— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2025
James – who turned 40 at the end of last year – hit eight straight points in the fourth quarter to steer his side to victory. The Lakers top the Western Conference Pacific with a 33-21 record.
Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points on his return after missing six games with a strained calf as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied for a 116-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Milwaukee were without Bobby Portis, who began a 25-game suspension after testing positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league’s anti-drug program. Portis said he took the Tramadol by mistake.
Portis cannot play again until 8 April 8 — the 79th game of Milwaukee’s 82-game regular-season schedule — at the earliest.
“I was dealing with an elbow injury and using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation,” Portis said in a statement released by the team.
During that time, I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved. I feel horrible and recognize that I’m responsible for what I put in my body.”
