Shaedon Sharpe scored 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away in the second half for a 132-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, spoiling a shorthanded night for the visitors.
Jerami Grant and Caleb Love each added 22 points for Portland, which continued its strong stretch by winning for the seventh time in its last nine games.
Marcus Smart led the Lakers with 25 points, but he limped off the floor midway through the fourth quarter and did not return. LeBron James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Drew Timme chipped in 21 points off the bench.
Los Angeles played without Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.6 points per game, due to left groin soreness. Coach JJ Redick said before the game that an MRI on Doncic was clear and the star guard is considered day-to-day. The Lakers were also missing center Deandre Ayton because of left knee soreness.
Portland was without its own leading scorer, Deni Avdija, for a third straight game because of a back injury, but still controlled the game. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 14 in the first half and took a 71-61 advantage into halftime.
The Lakers briefly trimmed the deficit in the third quarter when James set up Smart for a 3-pointer to make it 75-67, but Sharpe answered immediately with a dunk to keep momentum on Portland’s side. The Blazers eventually pushed the lead to 24 late in the game, prompting Redick to pull James with 5:40 remaining.
Up next:
The Lakers return home to host Toronto on Sunday, while the Trail Blazers continue their road trip Monday night at Atlanta.
