Bryant scored 50 points, Kwame Brown collected 20 and nine rebounds and Lamar Odom recorded his second consecutive triple-double as the Lakers posted a 110-99 over the Portland Trail Blazers.
|
Blazers-Lakers: Play |
"These two triple doubles are nice, but I'd really like to get four in a row and go into the postseason with them," Odom said. "I am just going to be focused on winning the games and keep doing all the little things I need to do to win games."
Bryant scored 50 or more points for the sixth time this season and passed Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for the team's single-season points record with 2,754.
"It means a lot because we are playing well," Bryant said. "We are in a position now where we can get into the playoffs and make some noise. I think on this journey to get back to the top, these achievements that we have as a team and individually just make for a more pleasant journey."
Brown and Bryant got Los Angeles off to a hot start as they scored 10 and nine points, respectively, as the Lakers jumped to a 38-18 lead with 11:44 remaining in the second quarter.
"I feel good and the energy and the respect my teammates are showing me means a lot," Brown said. "They are looking for me in the post. It started off in practice where everyone is coming together and we are showing up better prepared for the game."
Rookie Martell Webster scored 10 of his 18 points in the second period as the Trail Blazers roared back to cut their deficit to 50-45 at the break.
"When we settled down and got some stops defensively and offensively we got aggressive we got ourselves back in the game," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "I thought we were a little in awe instead of just going after them."
The teams went back and forth until the Lakers pulled away as Bryant scored 10 points in a 15-4 charge that gave them a 103-90 lead 2:48 left.
"We had the opportunity to beat this team by 25-30 points," Odom said. "We didn't because they are well coached and they played hard. We kept doing the little things and got stops when we needed them."

RSS Feeds



RSS Feeds
NBA.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network.