Lakers beat Blazers for 15th straight home win

[January 05, 2009]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 19 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86 Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory and 15th straight at home.

LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as all five starters scored in double figures. But the Blazers shot only 39 percent overall.

Facing the Trail Blazers for the first time since their season-opening, 96-76 win -- Portland's lowest point total ever against the Lakers -- the defending Western Conference champions pulled away with a 15-3 run that increased their four-point lead to 75-59 with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

Bryant and Gasol got the Lakers going with 16-foot jumpers, Derek Fisher added a 3-pointer and Sasha Vujacic capped the rally with a four-point play -- converting the free throw after Rudy Fernandez fouled him on a 3-pointer. Vujacic, playing despite a case of tonsillitis, had 11 points in 26 minutes.

Vladimir Radmanovic had 16 points off the bench for the Lakers, 12 of them in the fourth quarter. Portland made only three of 14 shots during the first 6:06 of the quarter, all of them 3-pointers, and never got closer than 14 points.

The Lakers, hoping to get out to a fast start against a Portland lineup missing leading scorer Brandon Roy because of an injured right hamstring, didn't take their first lead until Trevor Ariza's two free throws put them ahead 51-50 with 52.5 seconds left in the first half. Portland led 25-19 through one quarter after forcing nine turnovers -- all of them in a 7:25 span and one fewer than the Lakers had in Friday's win over Utah.

Notes: The Lakers have defeated four of the teams that have beaten the defending champion Boston Celtics -- Portland, Golden State, Denver and New York. The only club to beat both of last year's NBA finalists is Indiana. ... Portland forced an average of 13.4 turnovers through their previous 33 games this season. The Lakers finished with 14. ... The Lakers have won 18 of their last 20 home games against Portland and five in a row. ... Lakers F Luke Walton didn't play because of inflammation in the big toe on his right foot. ... The Lakers haven't allowed more than 23 points by an opposing player in seven straight games.

[Associated Press]

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