James, Lakers flatten Blazers, lead series 3-1

[August 25, 2020]  LeBron James scored 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting and also had 10 assists and six rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers steamroll the Portland Trail Blazers 135-115 in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series on Monday night near Orlando.

Anthony Davis had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes before exiting in the third quarter due to back spasms as Los Angeles took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Portland star Damian Lillard also departed in the third quarter with a right knee injury and had just 11 points in 27 minutes.

Kyle Kuzma scored 18 points and Danny Green added 14 as the Lakers cruised to the dominating wire-to-wire victory. Dwight Howard had 13 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 12 for Los Angeles.

Jusuf Nurkic recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds and CJ McCollum scored 18 for the Trail Blazers. Carmelo Anthony tallied 16 points, Gary Trent Jr. added 13, Mario Hezonja and Hassan Whiteside had 11 apiece and Wenyen Gabriel scored 10.

The Lakers will attempt to clinch the series in Wednesday's Game 5.

Los Angeles shot 56.3 percent from the field, including 17 of 39 from 3-point range.

Lillard, who was playing with a dislocated left index finger suffered in Game 2, was just 3-of-9 shooting before exiting. Portland finished at 44.9 percent and was 12 of 28 from behind the arc.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) go after a loose ball in the first half in game four of the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles rolled from the outset by scoring the first 15 points. The lead reached 20 for the first time when Kuzma drained a 3-pointer to make it 30-10 with 3:42 left, and it was at 24 later in the quarter before the Lakers settled for a 43-25 advantage heading into the second quarter.

James buried a 3-pointer to make it 76-46 with 1:05 remaining in the half before Los Angeles took an 80-51 lead into the break.

James connected on a 3-pointer from 36-foot to cap an 11-0 run to increase the score to 91-53 with 9:21 left in the third quarter. Davis departed at that point due to the back issues.

Lillard was hurt just over two minutes later and eventually exited with 5:18 remaining, and the contest continued to be one-sided the rest of the way.

--Field Level Media

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