LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — Luka Doncic scored 53 points and made a key jumper in the lane with 27.7 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena. Doncic added five rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes, producing his 11th career 50-point game and fourth with Los Angeles. The Lakers won their fourth straight game and avenged an earlier home loss to Portland this season. Attendance was 19,057.

Austin Reaves scored 25 points and Walker Kessler added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles. Reaves made several late free throws to keep Portland at bay, and Kessler provided interior scoring and a team-high rebound total. Doncic carried the offense for long stretches, scoring at the rim, from midrange and from 3-point range. He also helped Los Angeles weather Portland’s early shooting. The Lakers improved to 8-2 this season. Portland fell to 6-2.

Deni Avdija had 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists for Portland, while Damian Lillard scored 22 points and handed out four assists. Donovan Clingan had 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, Toumani Camara scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, Jrue Holiday added 12 points and seven assists, and Robert Williams finished with nine points, five rebounds and two blocks. Portland shot 36 of 70 from the floor and 19 of 43 from 3-point range but committed 24 turnovers. Los Angeles shot 42 of 93 from the field and 11 of 37 from beyond the arc.

Portland led 29-20 after the first quarter and stretched its advantage in the second. Avdija made free throws, Chris Youngblood hit a running 3-pointer, and Lillard connected from deep as Portland built a 43-30 cushion. Robert Williams’ dunk and free throw made it 51-35, but Los Angeles closed the half with a surge. Doncic banked in a 62-foot shot at the buzzer to pull the Lakers within 60-53 at halftime.

Los Angeles changed the game after intermission. Doncic opened the third quarter with a pull-up jumper, Kessler scored inside, and Reaves hit step-back shots as the Lakers erased the deficit. Clingan briefly kept Portland ahead with an alley-oop layup and a 3-pointer, but Los Angeles took control. Doncic’s 3-pointer with 4:47 left in the third tied the game at 68, and Los Angeles took the lead for good on Ziaire Williams’ 3-pointer on the next possession. Doncic then scored from inside and beyond the arc, and the Lakers closed the quarter on a 26-7 run to take an 87-75 lead.

Los Angeles pushed its lead to 95-77 early in the fourth on a Kessler tip-in and a pair of Matisse Thybulle free throws. Portland fought back behind Avdija, Lillard, Holiday and Clingan. Lillard’s 3-pointer with 7:20 remaining cut the Lakers’ lead to 95-89. The Lakers answered with a Jake LaRavia 3 and a Reaves running jumper, but Portland kept coming. Camara hit a 3 to make it 112-108 with 1:07 left, and Lillard made two free throws to pull Portland within 114-110 with 50.8 seconds remaining. Doncic answered with a 7-foot floating jump shot with 27.7 seconds left, and Reaves dunked with 23.6 seconds to play to make it 118-110. Portland made one more push as Camara and Clingan hit 3-pointers, but Reaves made four free throws in the final 14.9 seconds to close it out.

The Lakers finished with 105 possessions and an offensive rating of 118.6, while Portland had 104 possessions and an offensive rating of 113.9. Los Angeles had 17 offensive rebounds to Portland’s eight, and the Lakers committed 11 turnovers to Portland’s 24. Los Angeles had 15 assists and Portland had seven. Portland blocked five shots. The Lakers committed 29 fouls and Portland committed 31. Los Angeles shot 29 of 37 from the free-throw line, and Portland shot 27 of 37.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Los Angeles Lakers 111, Portland Trail Blazers 110, and its ELO system gave the Lakers a 66.5 percent probability to win. Los Angeles was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5, and the total of 242 went under the over/under line of 231.5.