Blazers cruise as 3rd-seeded Lakers rest stars, give Bronny James 1st career start

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Playoff-ousted Portland runs circles over the Los Angeles bench as the star-less Lakers hand heavy minutes to rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in final NBA regular season game

Dalano Banton matched a season high with 23 points to fuel the host Portland Trail Blazers to a convincing 109-81 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in the teams’ regular-season finale.

While the Trail Blazers (36-46) have long since been removed from playoff contention, the third-seeded Lakers (50-32) were able to rest stars Luka Doncic, LeBron James (left groin strain) and Austin Reaves among others ahead of their first-round series.

Banton joined Toumani Camara by sinking four 3-pointers for Portland. Matisse Thybulle scored 15 points, Camara finished with 14, Rayan Rupert had 13 and Donovan Clingan collected 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Jabari Walker and Kris Murray each added 10 points for the Blazers, who averted a four-game season sweep at the hands of Los Angeles.

Portland enjoyed a 56-42 edge in rebounds — including 27-13 on the offensive glass — and 52-34 advantage in points in the paint against the shorthanded Lakers.

Prior to the game, the Trail Blazers announced that head coach Chauncey Billups signed a multi-year contract extension. The move comes six days after Portland signed general manager Joe Cronin to a multi-year deal.

Dalton Knecht recorded 27 points, Shake Milton had 16 and Jordan Goodwin added 12 off the bench to pace to the Lakers.

Rookie Bronny James finished with four points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor while drawing the spot start for Los Angeles.

Bronny James made a layup to put the Lakers within two points at 39-37 with just over seven minutes to play in the second before Portland ignited a 19-6 run to end the quarter. Banton sank a pair of 3-pointers and Justin Minaya and Thybulle each connected from beyond the arc to highlight the surge.

Portland effectively sealed the win after scoring 26 of the first 38 points of the third quarter to push its lead to 84-55. Camara drained three 3-pointers during that stretch and capped the spirited run with a layup. – Rappler.com