Shaedon Sharpe led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 132-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, despite the absence of Luka Doncic. Sharpe's 25 points were complemented by 22 points each from Jerami Grant and Caleb Love, as the Blazers won seven of their last nine games. Marcus Smart had 25 points for the Lakers, but limped off the court in the fourth quarter, while LeBron James contributed 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Doncic, the league's leading scorer with 33.6 points per game, missed the game due to left groin soreness, and the Lakers were also without Deandre Ayton and Deni Avdija, who were out with left knee and back injuries, respectively. The Blazers held a 14-point lead in the first half, but the crowd cheered as James dunked to close the gap to 53-47 in the second quarter. Portland maintained a 71-61 lead at halftime. James' 3-pointer in the third quarter reduced the deficit to 75-67, but Sharpe responded with a dunk. The Blazers extended their lead to 24 points late in the game, and Redick substituted James with 5:40 left. The Lakers host Toronto on Sunday, while the Trail Blazers visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
