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Lakers Bested By Blazers Authored by Scott Essman - January 12, 2006 - 1:16 am
Though the Lakers were on a roll and the Blazers had lost six straight, the tables were turned in Portland on Wednesday night. Despite a fifth-straight 40+ scoring game from guard Kobe Bryant (he scored 41) and a good all-around offensive Laker game, the Blazers shot over 52% from the field and beat the Lakers 113-103.
Bryant made 13 field goals and 12 free throws but missed ten three-point goals (he made three of them). Forward Lamar Odom added 15 points, center Chris Mihm scored 13 and guard Smush Parker added 12. In 15 minutes off of the bench, forward Brian Cook scored 10. With five players in double figures, a balanced Laker attack should have brought victory. Alas, the Blazers were too much for them, with four players scoring 19 or more, led by guard Juan Dixon with 27 points. Ruben Patterson, who always plays well against the Lakers, his former team (they drafted him in the second round in1998), added 21 points.
The Laker-Blazer rivalry is deep, with the teams competing for Western Conference prominence in many celebrated matchups since the late 1980s. Several early 1990s playoff series were legendary, and the Blazers late 1990s resurgence led to more heated competitions. Lately, the rivalry had fallen off, what with the Blazers overhauling their roster. With a 10-24 record this season, the Blazers seemed ripe for the Lakers’ fourth win a row, but it was not to be. Perhaps this game will re-trigger a Laker-Blazer rivalry.
The Lakers play at Staples Center on Thursday night against the surging Cleveland Cavaliers who are 20-12 and second in the Central Division. |
