LeBron James scored 40 points, including eight straight in a fourth-quarter surge, and Austin Reaves had 32 as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-102 on Thursday night. The Lakers were without guard Luka Doncic, who missed the game as he continues to recover from a strained calf. Deni Avdija led Portland with 28 points. After Portland tied it at 81 in the fourth quarter, Reaves gave the Lakers the lead again with a scoop shot. James then kicked things into a higher gear. After an empty possession for Portland, James made a 3-pointer to give the Lakers an 86-81 lead. He hit another 3 moments later to make it 89-81. James then made a fadeaway jumper to cap a run of eight straight points – part of a 10-3 Lakers stretch that forced the Blazers to call a timeout. After Portland´s timeout, James hit another jumper to make it 95-86. Reaves made three free throws to push the lead back to double-digits at 99-89. Lakers: Coach JJ Redick praised James for his approach in building a partnership with Doncic. “I think he´s been fantastic since we got Luka and just in terms of his engagement and his ability to connect with (Doncic),” Redick said. “He´s going to sacrifice as much as anybody. He´s on the train, full go and he´s been that way for several months.” Blazers: While rookie center Donovan Clingan is averaging 16 minutes per game, the Blazers think he´s ready for more following the injury to starter Deandre Ayton. Clingan finished with six points and six rebounds. James had a two-handed slam with 7:25 left in the second quarter to give the Lakers a 40-22 lead, their biggest of the game. He then helped Los Angeles pull away with his scorung surge in the fourth. The Blazers were 14 of 21 (67%) from the foul line, while the Lakers were 23 of 25 (92%). The Lakers visit the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. The Blazers host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.