----- Lebron James scores 44 points and makes history as the Los Angeles Lakers dominate the Portland Trail Blazers 126-117 Wednesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Lebron James matched his career-high against Portland with 44 points on Wednesday night as the Lakers win their fourth-straight game 126-117 over the Trail Blazers. James added 10 rebounds and just missed a triple-double finishing the game with nine assists.
With his performance, James passed Wilt Chamberlain for fifth place on the NBA's career scoring list.
''Anytime my name is mentioned with some of the greats to play this game, I always think back to my hometown, where I come from, how far I've come,'' James said.
James had plenty of help. JaVale McGee scored 20 points and Brandon Ingram added 17 points and four assists. The Lakers scorched the nets connecting on 47.3% of their shots including 15-for-32 from three-point range. With the help of James and McGee, the Lakers won the battle in the paint (50-44).
Portland (10-4) started the game on fire. The Blazers dished out 10 assists in the first quarter building a 33-26 lead, and extended their lead to 45-32 with 6:29 to play in the first half on an Al-Farouq Aminu bucket. As quickly as the Blazers built their lead, it was lost.
The Lakers closed out the first half on a 27-10 run to take a 59-55 lead into halftime. The Blazers never recovered after that. With the Lakers hot shooting, pesky defense, and rebounding, Los Angeles remained in front of Portland throughout the second half.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 31 points and 11 assists, CJ McCollum scored 23 points, and Jusuf Nurkic recorded a double-double with 21 points, 14 points, and four blocks. Aminu played a terrific defensive game chasing James around. Chief scored 18 points and blocked three shots.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will travel to Minnesota to meet the Timberwolves on Friday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
Chad's Take- This game was a clunker for the Blazers. Move on and make sure this loss doesn't become a losing streak.