"FINALLY BEAT AN A** TEAM": Lakers fans heave a sigh of relief as LeBron James and Co. put away lowly Blazers 

LeBron James and the LA Lakers stormed past the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night with a 134-111 win. The Lakers had a difficult time putting away opponents under .500 this year, so this was a welcome sight. LA struggled to do that in its last game against the Brooklyn Nets, giving up a 12-point lead and losing 130-112.

However, the Lakers resolved their lack of discipline and complacency in these easy games with a 23-point blowout triumph over the Trail Blazers. The Lakers fended off a back-and-forth in the first quarter as Portland trimmed their 22-11 advantage to 28-27.

The Lakers were dominating on second-chance opportunities and the fastbreak, cutting off any chance for the lowly Trail Blazers to come back into the game. D'Angelo Russel continued his fine run amid trade buzz with a 34-point eight-assist night, shooting 66.7%, including 6-of-11 from 3.

LeBron James contributed 28 points, five rebounds and five assists, shooting 50.0%, while Anthony Davis had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. Austin Reaves and Can Reddish combined for another 25 to seal a team effort for LA.

The LA Lakers fans were thrilled to see a game where their team didn't give up a lead with listless play, setting NBA Twitter spaces abuzz as one fan stated:

"FINALLY BEAT AN A** TEAM"

More comments followed:

LeBron James and Lakers clean up effort and energy defensively to sustain momentum

The one theme that remained constant for LeBron James and the LA Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers was their energy defensively. They maintained a high intensity until the starters went to the bench. The Lakers were able to hold off the Trail Blazers' shooters and limit drives.

The closeouts were a tad quicker than usual, which sparked the season-high 35 fast break points. The Lakers' transition defense peaked as they limited Portland to only eight fast break points. LA maximized on their offense by ensuring they hit as many open looks as possible. It was clinical from the free-throw line, too.

The Lakers shot 54.7%, including 39.4% from 3 (13 3s) and missed only two of their 29 free throw attempts. The 3-point and free-throw shooting struggles are well-documented, so it was a stellar effort on that front.

However, LeBron James and Co. must ensure this is a sustainable improvement. The Lakers' Achilles this season has been their inconsistency of carrying over momentum into their following games, which has led to the team hovering around the .500 mark three games after the halfway stage of the season.