The Los Angeles Lakers lost their last game of 2024 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they had an excellent opportunity to open 2025 with a win when they hosted the struggling Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers have been one of the worst teams in the league during the 2024-25 season and the Lakers entered the night as huge favorites to win despite Anthony Davis missing the game. Davis has dominated the matchup against Portland previously, so his absence at least left room for some doubt that Los Angeles could struggle.
Fortunately, the Lakers didn’t suffer a letdown as they took care of business and beat the Trail Blazers 114-106 to start the new year off on a positive note.