Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - Luka Doncic scored 53 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 in the NBA Cup on Friday, while LeBron James' recent return to Cleveland ended in a loss.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 09:27

Doncic's new brilliant game helped the Lakers overcome a slow start during which they found themselves trailing by as much as 16 points in the second quarter.

The Slovenian concluded the first half with a stunning shot from beyond the arc of his team's area, reducing the difference to seven points and paving the way for his team's uprising in the second half.

The Trail Blazers had reduced the gap to four points in the last minute when Doncic scored a drop shot (Flotter), before the Lakers held on to their lead and achieved their fourth consecutive victory.

Doncic scored 40 or more points in six of his last seven games, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and George Mikan as only four players in Lakers history to score 40 or more points in four consecutive regular-season games.

“I'm having a lot of fun,” said Doncic, who also added five rebounds and five assists. “Playing basketball is obviously very fun for me. It becomes even more fun when you play like this and win games.”

This was the eleventh game in Doncic's career in which he scored 50 points or more, and his fourth in a Lakers jersey, surpassing LeBron James and equaling Mikan's record for fourth place on the list of the team's players with the most goals in games of this type.

As for James, who left the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers in June, he played his first match in Cleveland with the jersey of his new team, but the Cavaliers spoiled his comeback with a 119-95 victory that ended a streak of five consecutive victories for Philadelphia.

James, who many expected would choose a third stint with Cleveland before deciding to move to Philadelphia, was greeted with warm applause, interspersed with some boos, when he was introduced to the crowd.

The four-time league champion star, who is playing his 24th season in the league at the age of 41, also received new applause when he left the match late in the final quarter.

But in between, the evening was difficult for James and his teammates.

The best scorer in the history of the league finished the match with only eight points after scoring three shots out of 12 attempts, with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and six ball losses.

Star center Joel Embiid also failed to score any of his nine attempts from open play, settling for six points from six free throws.

Jaylen Brown, another newcomer during the period between the two seasons, led the Sixers by scoring 20 points, but the Cavaliers took control early and succeeded in repelling all of Philadelphia’s attempts to come back.

Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 23 points in the first quarter, and Evan Mobley added 22 points, while Cleveland outscored Philadelphia in rebounds 56-42 despite the absence of center player Jarrett Allen due to injury.

James said: "I didn't feel like I was in a good rhythm offensively. We didn't look good offensively. We had some good periods, and we succeeded in reducing the gap to three points in the third quarter. But I made too many mistakes in passing."

© 2026 AFP

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.