The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 114-106 win at home against the Portland Trail Blazers to improve their record to 19-14 on the season. LeBron James and Max Christie stole the show as LA played without star center Anthony Davis in this one.

LeBron led the Lakers with 38 points (15-25 FG, 7-10 3P) and eight assists while Christie put up a career-high 28 points (9-16 FG), continuing to excel as a starter for the Lakers. Austin Reaves struggled to score with 15 points (5-15 FG) but had another phenomenal playmaking performance with 11 assists. No other Laker scored in double-digits.

Fans were happy to see LeBron and Christie dominate in a win without Davis.

“How has LeBron been dropping these numbers for over 22 years,” said one fan stunned at LeBron still being so prolific.

“Man oh man. LeBron, I wanna express my admiration for all you achieved. Not just in basketball, but in life. You represent greatness, that has never been seen before. 40 years old dropping damn near 40 while shooting crazy efficiently with NO FREE THROWS,” said one fan who was truly in awe of what he saw.

“LeBron should’ve shot double-digit free throws tonight. The only way I can describe him as only having 2 FTA instead is… ‘intentional,'” said one fan who was shocked at LeBron’s low free throw attempts.

“Max Christie, I truly apologize for doubting the process,” said one fan who’s converted from being a hater to a huge supporter.

“Max Christie being legit good changed everything. Extremely vital he was able to fill this role. Balanced the rest of this roster,” said one fan who thinks Christie’s emergence will lead to a lot more Lakers success.

“LeDagger3, Year 3 Max Christie, Austin Reaves is 07 Steve Nash. 19-14. We move,” said one fan who was ecstatic at the results of tonight.

“Austin Reaves is the future of the Lakers Point Guard position,” said a fan who was glad to see Reaves continue to succeed since D’Angelo Russell’s departure.

The Blazers had a decent team offensive performance led by Anfernee Simons’ 23 points (8-17 FG). Shaedon Sharpe had 19 points and five rebounds (6-16 FG) while Deni Avdija had a great 19 points (8-14 FG) and 10 rebounds. Toumani Camara had a strong 18-point (8-13 FG) outing as well

With this win, the Lakers are in sole possession of the No. 6 seed in the West with both the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves dropping games tonight.

They’re just half a game behind the Dallas Mavericks in No. 5, who are going to be without Luka Doncic for the next month and have lost their last three games. They’re also half a game behind the Denver Nuggets in the No. 4 seed, so the Lakers have the momentum to potentially be top-four team for the rest of the season.

Their next three games are versus teams above .500, starting with a clash against the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow on a back-to-back. They’ll then have a quick tour to Texas and face the No. 3 seeded Houston Rockets and seeding rival Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and Tuesday respectively.

Anthony Davis’ status is unclear for tomorrow’s game, but the Lakers don’t expect the big man to be out for long. But with the 40-year-old James playing 36 minutes tonight, we might see him be held out or be on a minutes restriction…