
LeBron James propelled himself up to fifth in the NBA's all-time scoring list as he led the LA Lakers to a 126-117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 31 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists, but Marc Gasol finished with 29 points and five rebounds while going 6 for 12 from 3-point range in the Grizzlies' 116-113 win over Milwaukee.
The only downside for the Lakers came with an injury to Rajon Rondo, who faces at least two weeks on the sidelines after suffering a broken hand. While the initial belief was that he was exclusively to back up and mentor Lonzo Ball, the veteran point guard was given an opportunity to compete for a starting role.
"It's tough", James said, per ESPN. "He's one of our captains, one of our leaders. I know he'll get right to it with his rehab, but it's next man up".
James's standout night at the Staples Centre saw him come within a whisker of a triple double, with the Lakers star finishing with 10 rebounds and nine assists in addition to his 44 points.
James has been selected as National Basketball Association most valuable player four times and has three championship rings, two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cavaliers.
The Lakers won their fourth straight game, .
Rondo played 16 minutes against Portland.
The main issue and probable cause with the Lakers' early season woes stemmed from Luke Walton being unable to find somebody to protector the rim when McGee would head to the bench.
"He's done an incredible job of kind of getting that second group playing at a really nice rhythm for us", Walton said of Rondo.
James' dominant performance also extended to defense. Jusuf Nurkic had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Al-Farouq Aminu scored 18 points.
They'll meet for a third time this season on Wednesday at Staples Center, and both teams have elevated their play since they last met.
It was in the third quarter when James really took over. He made all eight of his fourth-quarter free throws, including the two from the flagrant foul on Portland's C.J.
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