Lakers Exorcise Their Demons in Portland

Playing without superstar Kobe Bryant (sprained left ankle), the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their drought up in Portland and defeated the Blazers, 99-82 at the Rose Garden. The Lakers had not won on the Blazers home court since February 2005. Adding to their burden was the thorough thumping they took the night before in a lopsided loss to the Denver Nuggets. But the Blazers were also without injured All-Star Brandon Roy (sore right hamstring) and starting center Greg Oden (out for the season). The Lakers started Lamar Odom in place of Kobe and he responded with 10 points, 22 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. The team appeared more focused and played with purpose, unlike their last string of recent games. Odom had this to say about Bryant’s absence, “I think it made us a little more focused as a group, to come in here and do whatever we had to do to stay in the game.” Ron Artest (21 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal) also stepped up and seemed to relish in the spotlight, draining a long buzzer beater just before halftime. “They left me wide open, and I’ve been shooting pretty well from 3 this year,” he said. Pau Gasol (13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Derek Fisher (14 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound) added the much needed balance to compensate for Kobe’s 28-point per game average.

Andrew Bynum (3 points, 1 rebound in 10 minutes) exited the game early after suffering from a hip pointer. As he gingerly walked back to the locker room, looks of concern could be seen on the faces of the Lakers. But he reappeared back on the bench for the second half although he did not play. His status is currently listed as day-to-day. Shannon Brown, forced to start the second half as LO was pushed back to a forward spot, exploded on offense as he quickly exploited the lax Portland defense who were more concerned with the tandem of LO and Gasol in the blocks. Brown responded with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Jordan Farmar (12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) helped propel the bench as they outscored the Blazers, 38-27. Even Sasha Vujacic (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 8 minutes) appeared poised and ready to go. Portland didn’t help themselves by shooting poorly the entire game. They managed only 43.7% from the field and a dismal 5-18 for 27.8% from behind the arc. Portland was led by LaMarcus Aldridge (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) and Andre Miller (14 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds). And with the Lakers destroying the Blazers on the boards, 47-30, they were able to punish them inside the paint for a 48-22 advantage.

The Lakers meet the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and Kobe’s availability is still unclear. But the effort put forth by the squad should help bolster their confidence and if they continue to play this hard, with this much passion, Kobe can rest and take the time to finally heal his numerous injuries that have plagued him all season. This team has too much talent and too much firepower at each position, and that should be more than sufficient to hold the fort down as Kobe mends. It was refreshing to see others step up in Kobe’s absence and meet the challenge, particularly in Portland’s house of horrors. Kobe picked the perfect game to sit out, forcing his teammates to rise to the occasion. Expectations for a Lakers victory in Portland were low, and by beating the odds, the team and coaching staff have learned a great deal more about themselves and their will to succeed.