CALIFORNIA – Anthony Davis took over for the Los Angeles Lakers in the endgame as they defeated Portland Trail Blazers, 99-94, in the 2021-2022 NBA Season on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
With the score tied at 89-all, Davis drilled a midrange jumper, followed by a free throw and an inside conversion as the Lakers surged to a 95-89 lead with 1:30 remaining.
The Trail Blazers made its last push to cut the deficit to 94-97 via a split free throw by CJ McCollum but two free throws by Malik Monk iced the victory for the Lakers.
Davis finished the match with double-double 30 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers snapped its three-game losing skid to improve its standings to 25-27.
Carmelo Anthony drilled five triples to end up with 24 markers, while Avery Bradley and Dwight Howard chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, for LA.
Norman Powell tallied 30 points, including five outside shots, Anfernee Simons added 19 markers, while Jusuf Nurkic had double-double 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers (21-31).
Meanwhile, Jalen Green had a solid offensive showing as the Houston Rockets (15-36) pulled off a 115-104 upset over Cleveland Cavaliers (31-21) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The Filipino-American guard top-scored with 21 points, on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, to go with five rebounds and five assists as the Rockets snapped its four-game losing skid for a 15-36 slate.
Christian Wood also ended up with 21 markers, including some crucial baskets in the endgame, while Garrison Mathews and Kevin Porter Jr. ended up with 16 points each for Houston.
Also, Harrison Barnes dropped 19 points as the shorthanded Sacramento Kings (19-34) scored a 112-101 upset over the slumping Brooklyn Nets (29-22).
BOX SCORE:
LOS ANGELES 99 — Davis 30, Anthony 24, Bradley 11, Howard 10, Westbrook 9, Monk 7, Horton-Tucker 5, Johnson 3, Bazemore 0, Reaves 0.
PORTLAND 94 — Powell 30, Simons 19, Nurkic 16, McCollum 15, Watford 6, Smith 4, McLemore 2, Elleby 2, Covington 0.
Quarterscores: 28-16, 54-53, 72-75, 99-94./PN
