LeBron James Talks Damian Lillard, More NBA Stars Attending Clippers vs. Lakers

Mike Ehrmann/Associated Press

LeBron James said Thursday he was happy to see some fellow NBA stars in attendance to watch his Los Angeles Lakers score a 103-101 victory over the rival Los Angeles Clippers during the first night of the league's restart at the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida.

The Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony along with the San Antonio Spurs' DeMar DeRozan and Oklahoma City Thunder's Chris Paul were among those in the stands:

Those players were treated to a terrific back-and-forth clash between the Western Conference's top two teams.

The Lakers stormed out to a 12-point advantage after the first quarter, but the Clippers fought back to carry a one-point edge heading into the fourth.

James scored the winning bucket with 12.8 seconds remaining after Paul George had tied the game at 101 on the previous possession.

The Lakers virtually wrapped up the top seed in the West with the win, extending their lead to 6.5 games with seven regular-season contests left for both L.A. teams in Orlando.

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For the Blazers in attendance, it might have been an early scouting mission. They're battling with a handful of teams for the eighth seed in the conference, which would likely lead to a first-round meeting with James, Anthony Davis and Co.

Expect to see plenty of players hanging out at other games while in Orlando given the limited number of options to spend their free time inside the NBA bubble amid the coronavirus pandemic.