While Portland's frontcourt ably survived the absence of starting center Deandre Ayton, the Lakers made a point to expose the Trail Blazers' defense-challenged backcourt, with Austin Reaves particularly taking pains to feast off Scoot Henderson in transition.

The Portland Trail Blazers returned to action Thursday night following the All-Star break, eager to continue chasing a play-in berth in the Western Conference. To start things off, the Blazers hosted the Los Angeles Lakers,

LeBron James scored 40 points, including eight straight in a fourth-quarter surge, and Austin Reaves had 32 as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-102.

James and Reaves made the biggest shots, got the biggest stops and, on a night when they didn’t have Luka Doncic, pushed the Lakers to a 110-102 win over the Trail Blazers. James scored 40 on the second night of a back-to-back and Reaves added 32,

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said his team was rusty and sometimes lacked focus during the defeat in the Blazers’ first game back from the All-Star break. The Lakers (33-21), however, were playing the second game of a back-to-back without star guard Luka Doncic,