Play-In Picture: Blazers jump Lakers, take control of 6th seed
The Trail Blazers now hold a one-game lead over the Lakers and the head-to-head tiebreaker with a only week left in the regular season
NBA.com Staff
State Farm NBA Play-In Tournament, through May 7.
The Trail Blazers couldn’t have picked a better time to welcome fans back to the Moda Center than a Friday matchup against the arch rival Lakers in a game with pole position for the sixth and final fixed playoff position in the Western Conference at stake.
It was probably more nerve-racking than they would have liked, with the Lakers making repeated runs behind a rare dominant performance from the oft-injured Anthony Davis (36 points, 12 rebounds). But with Damian Lillard pouring in 38 points and CJ McCollum adding 21, the Blazers held firm to earn perhaps their biggest win of the season, and certainly the biggest on a busy 10-game night loaded with playoff implications.