Kobe Leads Lakers to Beat Blazers 104-91

[April 03, 2008]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, Pau Gasol added 10 points in his first game in nearly three weeks and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-91 on Wednesday night.

Bryant also had 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (51-24), who trail New Orleans by 1 1/2 games and San Antonio by one game in the Western Conference standings. The Hornets have eight games left, the Lakers and Spurs seven each.

Gasol, playing for the first time since spraining his left ankle March 14 and admittedly not fully healed, played nearly 32 minutes -- far more than expected. He added six rebounds and seven assists.

"It's going to be sore, there's going to be pain," he said before the game. "I just have to deal with it and get over it."

The Lakers were 5-4 in his absence after going 15-4 in his first 19 games after Los Angeles acquired him from Memphis.

Derek Fisher scored 13 points, Lamar Odom had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Vladimir Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar added 10 points each for the Lakers.

Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster scored 23 points each for the Blazers. Steve Blake added 12 points and 10 assists and LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Brandon Roy, averaging a team-leading 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists, missed his third straight game because of a strained right groin. The Blazers (38-37) lost all three, and will need to win four of their last seven games to finish with a winning record for the first time since the 2002-03 season -- the last time they made the playoffs.

Farmar scored six points and Bryant added five during a 13-5 run to start the fourth quarter, giving Los Angeles an 86-68 lead. The Blazers battled back, outscoring Los Angeles 15-2 to draw within seven points, but Bryant scored seven in a span of 31 seconds to make it 95-81 and clinch the victory.

The Lakers outscored Portland 19-9 to start the second half for a 69-59 lead, and the Blazers weren't closer than six points after that. It was 73-63 entering the final period.

Neither team led by more than five points in the second quarter, which ended with the teams tied at 50. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said beforehand he hoped Gasol would play somewhere between 16 and 25 minutes in the game. The 7-foot center played all but 30 seconds of the second quarter and 18 minutes in the first half.

Notes: The Lakers complete a five-game homestand Friday night against Dallas before playing their final three road games of the season, against Sacramento, Portland and the Clippers. Then, they play their last three games at home. ... Blazers coach Nate McMillan said Roy will miss at least one more game before possibly returning against the Lakers next Tuesday night. ... The Lakers have won 12 of their last 14 games against the Blazers in Los Angeles. They have lost five straight and 11 of their last 13 in Portland. ... The Lakers have reached 50 wins for the 29th time in franchise history, and have a magic number of one to reach the playoffs for the 55th time in 60 seasons.

[Associated Press; By JOHN NADEL]

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