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PORTLAND, Ore. — Talk about second-chance points: A pair of putbacks were the perfect cappers to another wild Lakers comeback.
Thomas Bryant rose up from traffic twice in the final three minutes of Sunday’s game, slamming misses into makes for authoritative exclamation points on 31 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes of work.
Those last buckets, and an added 3-pointer from Troy Brown Jr., finished perhaps the most unlikely Lakers win of the season, a 121-112 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers after losing the second quarter by 32 points and trailing by as much as 25 points.
The Lakers seemed cooked. Smoked. Done. But this team, improving to 22-25, has a way of finding new life.
LeBron James led with 37 points and 11 rebounds, and Dennis Schröder added 24 points and 8 assists to help the Lakers outscore Portland 75-41 in the second half. It was the second-largest halftime deficit the Lakers have overcome in team history.
The Lakers had to take punches from Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons, who scored a combined 55 points.
The defining moment of the lopsided second frame was a pair of shots just seven seconds apart. After Westbrook airballed a open 3-point attempt from above the break, Lillard casually pulled up from near the midcourt logo over Troy Brown Jr. – and cashed it. James would add his own airball right before the halftime buzzer, condemning the Laker to a 45-13 second quarter.
It was the most one-sided quarter this season, according to ESPN – a new bottom from the Lakers’ own ignominious third quarter on Christmas Day against Dallas, when they were outscored 51-21. The frame ended on a dour note, with Portland ripping off 13 unanswered points before the intermission.
But the Lakers found some missing fire in their locker room – and James and Schröder led the way.
The duo spurred a 21-3 run while combining for 30 of the Lakers’ 40 points in the third quarter, and Portland couldn’t find a way to stay between James and rim. All six of James’ made field goals in the third were within the restricted area, and he supplemented those with free throw line appearances that kept chipping away.
Bryant was also a huge factor throughout the game, but made as much impact outside the paint as in: He was 4 for 5 from three as well.
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