Friday delivered the report that Lakers president Magic Johnson "admonished" coach Luke Walton in a meeting about the team's slow start, leading people to wonder if Walton's job was in jeopardy. Following the news, LeBron James signaled that he was confident in Walton and the Lakers coaching staff after beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
"I mean, it's great to win, period," LeBron said, according to ESPN. "Listen, coaching staff put us in a position to win, and it's up to us to go up and execute. Luke can care less about what's going on outside. We could as well. I'm the last person to ask about scrutiny or anything of that nature. So none of that stuff matters to me. The only thing that matters to me is what goes on inside this locker room, both home and away."
The Lakers earned a 114-110 win against the Trail Blazers, ending their 16-game losing streak to Portland. LeBron James put up 28 points during the game, delivering a key block when there was less than two minutes left.
"It just shows that what we're doing is working," Walton said of the win. "It's tough to get a win in Portland [even] when they don't have a good team. When they got the team that they have right now, it's even more challenging. So you don't just come up here and get hot and beat Portland."
