LeBron James scored 40 points, including eight straight in a fourth-quarter surge, and Austin Reaves had 32 as the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers 110-102 on Thursday night in Portland.

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.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points in his return after missing six games with a strained calf and the Bucks rallied for a 116-110 victory over the Clippers in Milwaukee.

Anteotkounmpo was on a minutes restriction and played just under 24 minutes, leaving for good with 6:27 remaining as the Bucks trailed 101-96. Milwaukee then completed its comeback from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit with Antetokounmpo on the bench.

Brook Lopez scored 22 points and put the Bucks ahead for good by converting a three-point play with 3:02 remaining.

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, James Harden added 24 and Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who played without Norman Powell due to knee soreness.

MLB

Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache, but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday in Glendale, Ariz.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

SOCCER

While the main attraction is still Lionel Messi, it’s perhaps fitting that for Major League Soccer’s 30th season the league is welcoming its 30th team.

Led by winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, San Diego FC is among the teams to watch this year, along with the expansion club’s first opponent, the defending MLS champion Galaxy. And, of course, Inter Miami.

Miami has sold out its season tickets as fans clamor to get an in-person look at Messi and fellow former Barcelona standouts Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.

Miami will be looking to again finish atop the Eastern Conference and repeat as Supporters Shield winners. Messi, the league’s reigning MVP, should once more be a top candidate. But the Herons’ 2024 season was marred when they were surprisingly eliminated by Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

The addition of the San Diego balances MLS at 15 teams per conference. The league’s newest club is owned by billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Tribe, the first Native American tribe in the country to have an ownership stake in a professional soccer team. The team’s first season kicks off on Sunday.

TENNIS

Andrey Rublev edged Félix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) to reach another Qatar Open final on Friday in Doha. He will face Jack Draper in the decider today.

The 10th-ranked Rublev needed four match points to close out No. 23 Auger-Aliassime for the sixth time in seven matchups.

Rublev lost the 2018 final in Doha but won in 2020.

Draper beat No. 25 Jiri Lehecka 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the semifinals.

On Thursday, top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year when Lehecka beat him 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz’s only other defeat in 2025 was to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek lost to a player younger than 18 for the first time on tour when she was stunned by Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai (UAE) Championships quarterfinals. Andreeva, 17, won 6-3, 6-3 to become the youngest semifinalist in Dubai’s 24-year history.

FIGURE SKATING

World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States were one point behind Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada in ice dance at the figure skating Four Continents in Seoul, Korea.

Chock’s and Bates’ energetic rhythm dance routine received 86.21 points.

But defending champions Gilles and Poirier, the last skaters to take the ice, scored 87.22 for their upbeat routine to a medley of surf music.

JURISPRUDENCE

Former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso for kissing her after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, an incident that overshadowed Spain’s first world title in women’s soccer and sparked debate about sexism in the sport.

A judge at Spain’s National Court ordered Rubiales to pay more than $10,400 in fines and prohibited him from getting within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence.

He was acquitted of a charge of coercion for allegedly trying to make Hermoso downplay the kiss on the lips at the awards ceremony in Sydney.

Spanish media said Rubiales, who resigned from the Spanish soccer federation three weeks after the incident, was expected to appeal the ruling, which was issued as a written statement without a court hearing.

“A kiss without consent is sexual assault,” Spain’s equality minister Ana Redondo said after the verdict. “The words of the victim must be respected.”

The kiss sparked outrage in Spain and marred the celebrations of its first Women’s World Cup trophy.

In her testimony at the trial, Hermoso, 34, said that she felt disrespected and that the kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.”

Rubiales, 47, insisted that the kiss was consensual, and his lawyers argued that even if it hadn’t been, it shouldn’t be considered as sexual assault.

NFL

The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Rams executive James Gladstone as their general manager, reuniting him with new coach Liam Coen.

Gladstone held the position of director of scouting strategy in L.A. since 2019, working alongside Rams general manager Les Snead during the draft process. He’s been with the Rams since 2016 and was viewed as a key member of the scouting department.