15/03/2023

LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 79 points as the Lakers finished off the Blazers in Game 5 for their first playoff series win since 2012.

In a special edition of Weekly Pulse, Mackenzie Salmon is joined by USA TODAY Sports reporters Mark Medina, Jeff Zillgitt, Nancy Armour and Jarrett Bell for a roundtable discussion on the meteoric changes that could take place in America as a result of a historic week in sports.
USA TODAY
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Nearly all game long, the Los Angeles Lakers went from dominant to sluggish.
They squandered double-digit leads. They played with the sloppiness that defined their seeding games more than their recent performance. And then, LeBron James cleaned up the mess and helped make the Lakers appear unstoppable.
The Lakers eventually finished with a 131-122 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, which cemented the end of a five-game first-round series victory for Los Angeles. The Lakers will meet the winner of the Houston-Oklahoma City series, which the Rockets lead 3-2.
The Lakers secured their first playoff series win since 2012 mostly because James posted a triple-double with 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Lakers forward Anthony Davis added 43 points and nine rebounds.
The Blazers played without All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who left the NBA campus after Game 4 to receive treatment on his injured right knee. Porrtland’s C.J. McCollum had 36 points in Game 5, while Carmelo Anthony had 27.
Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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