LeBron James recorded 40 points for the second time since turning 40, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday at Moda Center. James also grabbed eight rebounds as Los Angeles secured its sixth consecutive victory over Portland.
Austin Reaves contributed 32 points and seven assists, helping the Lakers recover from a 100-97 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets the night before. Dorian Finney-Smith added 10 points for Los Angeles.
Lakers guard Luka Dončić was rested due to a calf issue in the second game of a back-to-back set.
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 28 points and five assists. Toumani Camara added 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals, while Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Portland dropped its fourth consecutive game.
James, who matched his career-worst mark with 11 turnovers, became the second player in NBA history to record multiple 40-point games after turning 40.
Michael Jordan remains the only other player to accomplish the feat, scoring 43 for the Washington Wizards against the then-New Jersey Nets on Feb. 21, 2003. James previously scored 42 points against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6.
Lebron also surpassed NBA great Vince Carter for 3rd all-time appearances in the NBA regular season.
Los Angeles shot 47.6% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, making 9 of 32 (28.1%). Portland shot 44.2% overall and hit 12 of 37 (32.4%) from three-point range.
The Trail Blazers trimmed an 11-point deficit to two when Avdija went on a personal 9-0 run, making it 66-64 with 6:03 left in the third quarter. Portland closed within one at 78-77 after a Camara three-pointer in the final seconds of the period.
The Lakers responded in the fourth. Anfernee Simons tied the game at 81 with a layup at the 10:40 mark, but Los Angeles answered with an 8-0 run, including two three-pointers from James.
Reaves extended the Lakers’ lead to nine with a steal and layup with 7:07 remaining. He later hit a three-pointer with 3:26 left, but Camara brought Portland back within 102-98 with 2:44 to go.
Gabe Vincent sealed the win with two free throws with 16.7 seconds left before Reaves forced a turnover on Jerami Grant. James added two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining to secure his 40-point performance.
Reaves had 19 points in the first half, while James scored 16 as the Lakers led 55-47 at the break. Avdija had 10 first-half points for Portland.
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