Lakers Still Find Portland a Thorny Place

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trailblazers 106-98, their 8th straight loss to Portland in the Rose Garden. Despite going into halftime leading by 4, the Lakers lost the second half by 12. Portland went to the charity stripe 37 times as LA ended the game with 31 fouls. The Blazers turned the ball over just 6 times. Kobe Bryant had 32 points, and Pau Gasol added just 12. Andrew Bynum had another solid game after his return, scoring 13 points and collected 6 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Shannon Brown was a perfect 4-for-4, finishing with 10 points. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 24 points and 8 assists, and LeMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Rudy Fernandez scored 15 points.