Magic Johnson will probably not be short of training with Luke Walton, the Los Angeles Lakers coach.

Certainly not until next week.

The Lakers ended a 16-game losing streak against the Portland Trail Blazers with a 114-110 win Saturday night at Portland's Moda Center, but only after a 20-point fourth-quarter lead cut to five.

The end of the losing streak, which dates back to 2014, took place three days after it became known that Johnson, President of Operations for the Lakers, had destroyed Walton for the slow start of the team.

Although Portland has stormed the fourth quarter, the Lakers' overall performance figures have appeased Johnson, who expressed dissatisfaction on Tuesday during a meeting with Walton in Johnson's office, according to ESPN and the Los Angeles Times.

At the time, the Lakers were 2-5. Now they are 4-5 years old and continue to give the Lakers fans a heartburn with their difficulties at the end of the game.

On Saturday night, LeBron James had 28 points, seven assists, five rebounds and several hits in the final minutes. Before the match, he escaped questions about Johnson's allegedly heated encounter with Walton.

"It does not bother me at all because I do not pay attention to that, I do not listen to it," James told reporters after the morning Lakers shooting. "In fact, it never really happens to me, so it's not a big deal for us.

"We need to find a way to put together very good games, even good games, and make sure that our total earnings are the same as today because that's the job we're in. That's the only thing we want to do – be the best team possible and win baseball games. "

The Lakers took a hesitant but important step in that direction on Saturday night, as James helped the Lakers resist a late Portland charge (6-3).

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"It was not good, but we have the W," Rajon Rondo told Spectrum SportsNet after boosting the Lakers with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. "Give us credit, we had a 20-point lead and we found a way to win."

In their previous game, the Lakers had collected a 19-point lead in the second half against the Dallas Mavericks before retaining a 114-113 victory on Wednesday.

With James on the bench in the third quarter, the Lakers scored 16-0 and led 88-73 before the third quarter. James encouraged his teammates when the Lakers advance reached 20 points early in the fourth quarter.

Walton said the merger of young players and veterans had contributed to the team's difficulties in the fourth quarter, but told reporters that the victory was a breakthrough for the Lakers.

"It shows that what we do is working," he said. "It's hard to win a win in Portland when they do not have a good team.When they have the team that they have now, it's even more difficult." "

Building a lead, holding it or winning by all means Sunday night at Staples Center would likely prevent Walton from entering Johnson's office for further conversation. The Lakers will host the Toronto Raptors (8-1).

Follow Josh Peter on Twitter @ joshlpeter11.