If the last four years taught them anything, the Lakers knew that finally beating Portland wouldn’t be that easy.
So when a 20-point lead was suddenly whittled down to six, the Lakers regained their composure.
LeBron James was an enormous part of that, providing six points, two assists and a key block in the final three minutes, as the Lakers ended a 16-game losing streak against the Trail Blazers with a 114-110 road win.
“Obviously having LeBron there to close down those final few minutes was big,” coach Luke Walton said.
Indeed, it’s always huge having the world’s best player.