Portland blaze a trail past LeBron-less Lakers

Damian Lillard pulled himself out of a shooting slump to score 25 points in the first three quarters to send Portland Trail Blazers toward a 105-90 victory over Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, who were without LeBron James because of an abdominal strain.

Lillard hit a 3-pointer to open the game and he made two of his first three attempts. He also hit a 3-pointer for Portland's first points in the second half, and finished with six 3s on 14 attempts.

His play was an improvement after averaging just 17.8 points to open the season, well off his average from last season. He had been shooting just 21.7% from 3-point range.

"I thought I shot the ball better. Not as good as I would have liked to, with some of the opportunities I got," Lillard told AP after Saturday's game. "But I shot the ball better and we got another win, so I feel good about it."

Jusuf Nurkic added 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Blazers, who led by as many as 34 points despite playing the second of a back-to-back.

The last Blazer to have 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 100% FG was Calvin Natt in 1982.

Lakers lacking firepower

The Lakers' firepower was further stymied by leading scorer Anthony Davis playing just seven minutes before leaving the court with a stomach ailment, and had gone into the game with a thumb strain,.

Coach Frank Vogel said after the game that Davis was throwing up before the game, but thought he could play.

Former Blazer Carmelo Anthony had 12 points off the bench for the Lakers, but Dwight Howard said there were no excuses for the loss.

"Every possession, every minute on the floor has to matter," he said.

With Saturday's win the Blazers have notched up two in a row after a 110-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers the night before that put an end to a three-game losing streak.

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