Things were going well for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night…until they weren’t. Buoyed by a strong second quarter, the LeBron James-less Lakers canceled out a good first quarter from Portland to maintain clear control of the game for the rest of the game.

After leading by 14 at halftime, the Lakers fended off a few small attacks from Portland before dominating in the fourth quarter and winning 107-98. The final result was closer than it seemed, as the Lakers led by as many as 20 points late in the fourth quarter.

In LeBron’s place, Anthony Davis was great with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. D’Angelo Russell provided additional firepower with 28 points and 14 assists.

That was more than enough to overtake the Blazers, who only fielded one player who scored more than 20 points. Jerami Grant finished 1-12 with three points.

Blazer of the Game: Shaedon Sharpe. The third-year guard was noticeably aggressive from the start in LA, initiating the action on offense and attempting to attack the defense when he had the ball. He was most effective in the first half when he searched the screens for midfield jumpers. The Analytics Revolution doesn’t like this shot, but it was the most available as Davis patrolled the perimeter, and it was good to see Sharpe not settling for a few dribbles and a step-back 3. He finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds and three assists on 7-15 shooting.

Score of the night: 37-17. The Blazers led 28-22 after the first quarter and appeared ready to bounce back after the embarrassment against Utah. Then LA outscored Portland 37-17 in the second quarter and the mood completely turned the other way. This big second quarter for LA was sparked by a 15-0 run while Davis was on the bench.

What we will remember: The change. As mentioned above, the Blazers looked good and active early in the game. Once LA landed the blow in the second quarter, things seemed to go downhill from an energy and scoring perspective. Special praise in this category goes to Scoot Henderson, who threw a nearly complete ball at the buzzer in the third quarterthat will live on in Blazers highlight reels for at least the rest of the season.

Box score

What’s next: Four days of rest. The Blazers get a nice break before taking on the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time.