Trail Blazers-Lakers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Dec 28 2012 12:13AM

The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to have found their groove before coming up short their last time out.

While they might normally like their chances of getting back on track with Portland coming to town, the Trail Blazers are playing some of their best basketball of the season.

The Lakers try to regroup Friday night against a Blazers team hoping to avoid a 10th loss in 11 meetings at Staples Center.

After getting off to a rough start, Los Angeles (14-15) established itself with a season-best five consecutive victories. While Kobe Bryant did his best to extend that run by scoring 40 points Wednesday, the Lakers couldn't slow down Denver in a 126-114 road loss.

"It just seemed like we were a step slow. It just seemed like we had a wheel stuck in the mud. We played old," said Bryant, who's scored at least 30 in 10 straight games. "It was like we were in a lower gear all night. It's a little bit more alarming now because of the way we started the season."

Los Angeles, which surrendered its highest point total of the season Wednesday, played most of the second half without Dwight Howard after he was ejected for a flagrant foul 2. The Lakers were outscored 58-38 in the paint and gave up 25 second-chance points on 20 offensive rebounds.

Los Angeles now turns its attention to Portland (14-13), which has dropped four straight and 18 of 21 on the road in this series dating to 2001. The Blazers, though, pulled out a 116-106 home victory in their season opener, overcoming Howard's season-high 33 points and 14 rebounds and 30 points from Bryant.

Portland's Nicolas Batum led the way with 26 points in that game while rookie Damian Lillard scored 23 to go along with a season high-tying 11 assists. Wesley Matthews scored 22.

Playing at home versus on the road has a made a world of difference for Portland, which is 10-4 on its own court and 4-9 as the visiting team.

The Blazers have won six of seven, with their only loss over that stretch coming 108-96 at Sacramento on Sunday. Portland, though, exacted revenge Wednesday in the back-end of a home-and-home set, beating the Kings 109-91

"We just wanted to come home and take care of home court and try to get a win before we go out on the road," said Aldridge, with had 28 points and 12 boards.

Lillard also came up big with 17 points, 11 assists and a season-best eight rebounds for the Blazers, who compiled a season-high 31 assists. Portland is averaging 25.2 assists over its last five games - significantly better than its season mark of 20.3.

"We've been moving the ball really well, and I just think that that shows how much more we trust each other now," said Lillard, who leads all first-year players with 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game. "We're just making plays for each other and guys have enough confidence to make shots."

In addition to trying to contain Aldridge and Lillard, the Lakers could have their hands full with J.J. Hickson. The big man had 17 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday for his ninth consecutive double-double - the longest such stretch by a Blazer since Kermit Washington in 1980.

Portland could be without Matthews for a third consecutive game due to a lingering strained left hip.

After missing eight games earlier this month with knee tendinitis, the Lakers' Pau Gasol was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. He's listed as probable for this game.

Surging Lakers rout Trail Blazers 104-87

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Dec 29 2012 2:13AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant's streak of 10 straight 30-point games ended only because he spent the fourth quarter on the bench alongside Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in a blowout win.

The way the Los Angeles Lakers are playing lately, Bryant has reason to hope he'll spend less time cramming boxscores and more time riding the pine.

Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers never trailed in their sixth win in seven games, 104-87 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Pau Gasol had 15 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers closed out their 2012 schedule by climbing back to .500 (15-15) in their rocky season. Los Angeles had little trouble rolling past the Blazers, taking a 20-point lead in the first half and methodically dissecting Portland's defense with another fluid offensive performance.

"It was just energy," Bryant said. "We're playing really well. We've just got to keep it going."

The Lakers earned an easy fourth quarter with dominance in the first three, when they resembled the offensive powerhouse everybody expected to see in purple and gold this year.

"I'm a big believer that the ball will find energy," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "If you put energy on the floor, you end up with a good game."

Nash's playmaking again set an impressive tone for the Lakers, who outrebounded the Blazers 52-44 and took a 27-point lead late while scoring 23 fast-break points. Nash had 10 assists and six points while playing just 27 minutes in his fourth game back from a seven-week absence with a small fracture in his leg, the result of a collision with Portland's Damian Lillard on Oct. 31 in Nash's second game with the Lakers.

"We're obviously still a new team," Nash said. "It's new to me. I'm new to the offense. We're trying to figure it out. I think we're growing more and more cohesive, but I've got a long way to go."

The biggest impact was made by Howard, who played with noticeable urgency on both ends after a lackluster outing in Denver two days ago, blocking three shots and even hitting four straight free throws when Portland briefly played Hack-a-Howard with the 50 percent foul shooter in the second quarter.

"We just came out and we played hard tonight from the beginning," Howard said. "Our effort was there. We played inside-out, ran the ball, and our defense was real good tonight. And Pau was looking like (Dirk) Nowitzki out there. Pau Nowitzki hit two 3s."

Yes, even Gasol appeared to have little trouble getting open shots - including those two 3-pointers - despite playing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, a recently diagnosed condition that will only get better with rest. The Lakers have the weekend off before returning Tuesday against Philadelphia.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points before sitting out the final minutes with a bruised chest for cold-shooting Portland, which lost for just the second time in eight games. Los Angeles' defense held Lillard, Portland's star rookie, to 11 points on 4-for-17 shooting.

"They just outworked us from top to bottom and played harder than us," Lillard said. "And because of how aggressive they were, they made shots. They scored transition points, and they're not even a running team."

Will Barton scored 11 points for Portland and Nicolas Batum added 10. Aldridge kept the Blazers fairly competitive during the first three quarters, but his teammates combined for 24-of-70 shooting and couldn't keep up after Aldridge sat down.

"It happened on a drive to the basket against Dwight when I tried to dunk it," Aldridge said. "I was exposed, and I got hit on a soft spot on my chest. I came down and I couldn't really breathe. I'm a little sore and I'll probably be worse tomorrow, but I'll be OK."

Portland hosts Philadelphia on Saturday in its final game before the new year.

The Lakers came out with more energy and aggression than they showed in Wednesday's defense-deficient loss at Denver, hitting 14 of their first 21 shots and jumping to a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Los Angeles then made a 12-0 run to a 20-point lead shortly before halftime, with Gasol hitting a 3-pointer from straightaway to cap it.

At halftime, the Lakers retired the No. 52 jersey of Jamaal Wilkes, the Hall of Fame scorer who won three of his four NBA titles with the Lakers. Wilkes, a three-time All-Star with an unorthodox jump shot, choked up while thanking his teammates and fellow Lakers greats including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and James Worthy, who all joined Wilkes for the ceremony.

NOTES: G Wesley Matthews, the Blazers' fourth-leading scorer with 15 points per game, missed his third straight game with an injured left hip. ... Gasol made a 3-pointer in his third straight game, a first in his NBA career. ... Fans received a replica Wilkes jersey at the door, and director Penny Marshall wore it in her courtside seat.

Notebook: Lakers 104, Blazers 87

Dan Arritt, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:06 AM - Updated Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:06 AM

THE FACTS: One streak came to an end Friday night when Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 27 points to finish under 30 for the first time in the last 11 games, but Pau Gasol continued another with his suddenly potent 3-point shooting. Dwight Howard also stepped up with another big game against the Trail Blazers, helping the Lakers (15-15) move back to .500 with a 104-87 victory at Staples Center.

THE STAT: In his first 815 games in the NBA, the 7-foot Gasol made 28 shots from 3-point range. In the last three, he has made five. Gasol made two against Portland, the second consecutive game he has scored two baskets from beyond the arc. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.

QUOTABLE: "Oh, we've got some weapons. Sometimes they're pointed toward us."

--Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni

TURNING POINT: The Trail Blazers (14-14) never led in the game, falling behind by as many as 12 points in the opening quarter and 20 in the second. Portland made a few pushes early in the third to cut the deficit to 12, but Bryant scored five points in a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to 74-56 with 7:14 left in the third and the Blazers never got closer than 15 the rest of the way.

HOT: Howard wouldn't mind playing the Trail Blazers more often. After scoring a season-high 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the first meeting on Halloween, Howard totaled 21 points and 14 rebounds the second time around. Portland even tried fouling Howard intentionally during the second quarter, hoping to take advantage of his 51.2 percent free-throw shooting this season, but Howard stepped to the line and calmly made all four free throws, putting an end to the Hack-a-Howard defense.

QUOTABLE II: "When he plays hard, it really takes a toll on the other team at both ends of the floor."

--Steve Nash on Howard

NOT: Portland center J.J. Hickson came into the game with nine straight double-doubles, the most for a Blazer since Kermit Washington in 1980. But the 6-9 center was stymied by Howard, missing all seven field-goal attempts and matching his season-low with two points. He didn't even record a single-double, finishing with eight rebounds.

GOOD MOVE: Portland rookie point guard Damian Lillard looked like he had a good matchup coming into the game, especially since L.A. is led by 38-year-old point guard Nash. But then D'Antoni announced before the game that second-year guard Darius Morris would guard Lillard, a switch that seemed to throw off Lillard. He shot 4-for-17 and scored 11 points, his third-lowest scoring output this season. Nash, meanwhile, held his own while giving away seven inches in his attempt to guard 6-10 rookie Victor Claver at the start of the game. Claver never got off a shot in the first 6 ½ minutes he was on the floor.

QUOTABLE III: "Damian had a lot of shots that he could make. They have good length when he drives in there. It's Gasol, [Jordan] Hill and Howard, and they're long, but I thought he had a lot of shots he could make and he didn't make them tonight."

--Portland coach Terry Stotts

BAD MOVE: Four weeks ago, Lakers veteran Antawn Jamison had 33 points and 12 rebounds in a 122-103 victory against the visiting Nuggets, stealing minutes from Gasol along the way. Jamison didn't get off the bench for the fourth straight game Friday, which was especially unusual because he was the only player for L.A. who didn't appear in the game. D'Antoni was probably saving him the embarrassment of entering a game for mop-up duty, but even D'Antoni said recently that the Lakers will eventually need Jamison to perform.

NOTABLE: During halftime, the Lakers retired the jersey of Jamaal Wilkes, who wore No. 52 while playing eight seasons for the Lakers from 1977-85, helping them win four championships. ... Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge had a team-high 27 points before leaving in the third quarter with a "sternal contusion." Stotts said after the game he expects Aldridge to play Saturday night against the visiting 76ers. ... Portland shooting guard Wesley Matthews missed his third consecutive game with a left hip flexor strain.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday @ Clippers, Jan. 6 vs. Denver. For the Trail Blazers, Saturday vs. 76ers, Tuesday @ Knicks, Wednesday @ Toronto.

• Trail Blazers: Matthews, Williams
• Lakers: Blake, Johnson-Odom

• Trail Blazers: --
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:08