Portland Trail Blazers Fall to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, Again.
It is only when Kobe plays your favorite team that one can exhibit full disdain for both him and his organization. Unfortunately, Sunday night was one of those games for all Blazers fans.
The Portland Trail Blazers did their job, holding Kobe to 9-of-20 from the field, but it was his efficiency in the fourth quarter that catapulted the Lakers on top, handing Portland an 84-80 loss at Staples Center.
The pictures tell it all, as Bryant finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists and the Los Angeles Lakers captured their ninth win in 10 games, and their 25th home win this season. Pau Gasol finished with a double-double, 14 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. But it was Lamar Odom, who stepped in for the suspended Andrew Bynum, that made the biggest impact on the Blazers. He, too, finished with a double-double and filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
"He played well," said Kobe of Odom after the game. "We miss Drew tremendously. We're a deep crew. You just gotta step up."
Nicolas Batum led all scorers with 25 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, but there was no other scoring presence on the Blazers to help give them that edge over the Lakers. Wesley Matthews completely disappeared; he had no points in his 19 minutes of action, and Brandon Roy had yet another forgettable performance. He scored a mere eight points when his team needed his production late in the game.
Portland held a nine-point lead early the fourth quarter, but it was Kobe Bryant who led the charge that helped recapture the lead, and ultimately the ball game, scoring 10 of his 22 in the fourth quarter. Batum hit a tough three to draw the Blazers within two, but Derek Fisher would hit a clutch, foul-line jumper to put the Lakers up permanently.
The Blazers are now 0-3 against the Lakers this season, having been beaten both at home and at the Staples Center. But mark your calendars for April 8. That's the last time these two teams will have a regular season game against each other. And Portland won't go down without a fight.
However, in some worse Portland Trail Blazer news, Marcus Camby was sidelined late in the fourth quarter when Kobe attacked and finished at the basket. The severity of his injury is unknown at the moment, but he needed assistance getting off the court. It appeared to be a foot injury. This could turn out to be bad news down the stretch, but Portland played well with Aldridge at Center.
