It was ‘Kobe Day' today and LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers knew that they had to make a statement to honor the legendary Laker figure. The Lakers came out swinging in the first quarter and erupted for a quick 15-0 run to start the game. The fast start helped them eventually tally in 24 points midway through the opening quarter. And with the Blazers having eight points, it was the perfect Kobe Bryant tribute. And as James puts it, the stars aligned just to make sure things unfolded that way.

“I did notice that we were up 24-8.” James told the media after the game. “And when I look up there and see 24-8, I was like ‘okay, he's here in the building.' It was a beautiful night for our franchise.”

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James was locked in tonight as he lead the Lakers with a game-high of 30 points, 10 rebounds and added six assists to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Blazers. Portland never seemed to recover from that early deficit as they continued to struggle tonight after shocking the Lakers with a Game 1 upset. It also didn't help the Blazers' cause that their superstar Damian Lillard had to exit the floor early with an apparent knee injury.

Tonight's win was indeed the perfect way to commemorate Kobe Bryant on his day, with James and co. making sure of that. The game was seemingly out of reach for the Blazers as early as the first half as it was ‘Mamba Mentality' for the Purple & Gold right from the tip-off. The Lakers will look to close out the series in Game 5 come Wednesday.