LeBron pours in 35, Lakers down Blazers to stay atop tournament group

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — LeBron James matched his season-high with 35 points and the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Portland Trail Blazers their sixth straight loss with a 107-95 victory in an In-Season Tournament game on Friday night.

Anthony Davis added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the Lakers moved to 3-0 in Group A with the victory that counts toward the regular season.

Jerami Grant had 24 points for Portland. With the loss, the Blazers fell to 1-2 in the tournament and were eliminated from a shot at winning their group.

The Lakers led by as many as 17 points in the final quarter. Rui Hachimura’s 3-pointer put Los Angeles in front 97-83 with just over seven minutes left, sending fans to the exits.

James was listed as questionable with a calf contusion but he started and played with a sleeve on his calf, finishing with nine assists.

Los Angeles kept its starters in until the end, because point differential matters in the group standings.

The Lakers led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and took a 30-23 lead into the second. The stretched it to 54-40 on D’Angelo Russell’s 3-pointer before going into halftime in front 60-50.

Jerami Grant’s 3-pointer and free throw for Portland closed the gap to 63-60 early in the third. The Blazers got as closes as 68-67 on Skylar Mays’ 3.