The phrase “status quo” is probably not one that Lakers fans would like to hear from head coach Darvin Ham before the game out of all the things he could say.

During the first three weeks of the NBA season, their club has been in a total slog, constantly playing uphill while having expected contributors who are either injured or inconsistent. More of that is something that nobody wants at all.

However, Ham used the phrase to describe his lineup, and more precisely, one component of it: Cam Reddish starting in place of Austin Reaves for the second game in a row.

For the time being, the Lakers appear to be dedicated to it, as seen by the fact that they have entrusted Reaves with the responsibility of leading the second unit and hope that Reddish will help them immediately ramp up their defensive zeal.

As they head into a stretch of games that they should be able to win, the Los Angeles Lakers are making an effort to distinguish themselves from their competition and to discover some stable aspect of their identity.

And then on Sunday, when it meant the most, they appeared to find one again.

They battled through defensive possessions, fought for loose balls, zipped the ball around the perimeter, and when it came down to the wire, they went to Anthony Davis.

In the absence of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers prevailed over the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 116-110 on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena. The Trail Blazers were without several key players, including Damian Lillard, Damian Lillard, and Damian Lillard.

During the first half of the game on Sunday, Lakers player Cam Reddish, pictured in the center, took a shot above the heads of Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath, on the left, and Lakers forward Jerami Grant. At the end of the game, Reddish had 18 points and seven rebounds. (Photo by Mark J. Terrill, courtesy of the Associated Press)At the end of the game, Davis had a total of 30 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Reddish and Reaves each had 18 points, Taurean Prince had 11, and D’Angelo Russell had 11 points and 11 assists. Rui Hachimura scored 19 points.

Reddish and Reaves each had 18. On a night when the available Trail Blazers played with freedom and confidence, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to dominate Portland despite the fact that their three-point shooting percentage was just 21.1%.The Lakers made the decision to rest James on Sunday afternoon due to a shin injury he sustained on Friday while leading the team to win in Phoenix.

James was able to finish off a much-needed victory despite the issue, which came about as a result of an awkward collision with Kevin Durant when the two players were in midair. However, the injury was severe enough for James to limp out of the building on Friday night, and he was given the day off on Sunday to rest and recuperate.As a result of his absence, the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to rely on the kind of balance and defensive effort that assisted in propelling them into the playoffs with so much momentum the previous year. These are characteristics that the Lakers have struggled to maintain consistently this season as they have looked for a rhythm.