In many ways, Sunday's 116-110 win over Portland at the Crypt was reminiscent of stretches last year when the Lakers pushed their way up the Western Conference standings. No LeBron James? No worries. Anthony Davis (as it was last year when LeBron was hurt) stepped up in the biggest of ways. With James sidelined after banging shins with Kevin Durant on Friday—Darvin Ham says LBJ was definitely uncomfortable, but the Lakers were definitely being cautious and seemed unconcerned—Davis went for 30 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, shooting 10-20 from the floor and hitting all of his second half free throws.

That's getting it done.

But he wasn't alone. Rui Hachimura, filling in for LeBron in the starting lineup, was great. Cam Reddish, who did nice work on both ends in Friday's win did the same on Sunday, scoring 18 points over 38 minutes of run. D'Angelo Russell had 11 dimes against only one turnover. Austin Reaves was strong, coming off the bench for a second straight game.

The Lakers didn't turn the ball over (nine on the night) and made their free throws (81%). In many ways, this was the formula for them last year. Winning, if inelegantly. And while the lineup remains this inconsistent, this is could very well be the formula for this year's team, too.

At 5-5, the Lakers aren't playing nearly well enough to make real noise in the West. But they also haven't hurt themselves, either. This weekend's wins have tilted the season back into a good place, moving them out of the danger zone with some winnable games (most notably vs. Memphis and then these Blazers again).

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: LeBron sits, and Anthony Davis steps up BIG to fill the void. Seems familiar...

SEGMENT 2: Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura, and other big performers from Sunday's game.

SEGMENT 3: The Lakers have some winnable games coming up. Meanwhile, D'Angelo Russell is playing critical minutes, despite not shooting well.

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