Lakers Still Negotiating with Odom

The Los Angeles Lakers are still negotiating a contract with Lamar Odom to resign him. The power-forward was a key part of the championship run after Andrew Bynum injured his knee, and later in the playoffs as Bynum piled up fouls. Portland is the only team with enough salary-cap space to sign Odom, but so far their interest has been mild at best.

Lakers Set to Face Houston

The Houston Rockets eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers 92-78, winning the series four games to two. The Rockets will now face the Los Angeles Lakers in the the Western Conference semi-finals. The Lakers won the season series with Houston 4-0 during the regular season. Facing Houston is a relief for most Laker fans, as LA finished the season 2-2 against the Blazers, with the home team winning each time.

NBA Playoffs: Where Upsets Happen

As the Los Angeles Lakers waited for their playoff opener against Utah tomorrow, the NBA Playoffs started off with a bang. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Boston Celtics 105-103 in overtime, stunning the Kevin Garnett-less Irish. Derrick Rose of the Bulls tied the record for most points scored by a rookie in a playoff debut with 36 points. In Cleveland, the Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons, taking a 1-0 advantage in that series. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Spurs 105-97 in San Antonio. Houston defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 108-81 in a series that can have serious concequences for the Lakers.

Clips Can't Reach 20-Win Plateau

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 87-72, dropping their record to 19-61. The Clips shot just 38% from the field, and 2-for-15 from three-point range. Portland took 27 free-throws, compared to 11 for LA. Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 18 points, and Zach Randolph returned from his suspension to score 13. Baron Davis had 12, and no other Clippers scored in double-figures. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 21 points, and Brandon Roy added 15.

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.

Ariza Safe, Odom Suspended

Trevor Ariza was not suspended for yesterday's game in Portland. Ariza tried to knock the ball out of Rudy Fernandez's hands, but only got his arms. Fernandez crashed to the floor, and had to be taken out of the game on a stretcher. Ariza was called for a flagrant-foul-2, and was ejected. The NBA decided not to suspend him. Lamar Odom however will be forced to miss tomorrow's game against Houston. Odom left the bench to separate Ariza and several Blazers from arguing. Leaving the bench is a violation of NBA rules under any circumstances.

Oregon Trail Leads to Defeat for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 111-94, only their 13th loss of the season. LA had only 16 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third, and finished the game shooting .439 from the field. Portland was hot from the beginning, going 40-for-82 in the game and 11-for-24 from three-point range. The Lakers had 13 turnovers and only 16 free-throw opportunities. Kobe Bryant had 26 points on only 11-for-29 shooting, and Pau Gasol scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Jordan Farmar had 12 points off the bench. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 27 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 and had 13 rebounds. Travis Outlaw came off the bench to add 22 points.

Clippers Get No Help in Loss

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 116-87, their 43rd loss of the season. In the first quarter, Steve Blake tied an NBA record by acquiring 14 assists, the first time someone accomplished this since John Lucas set the record with San Antonio in 1984. The Clips scored only 16 points in that first quarter, and 19 points in the fourth. Portland finished the game with a .522 shooting percentage, while LA shot .367. Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 21 points, and DeAndre Jordan scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, and Brandon Roy scored 20. Blake finished with 17 assists.

Clippers Can't Get Past Tough 4th

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 113-88, their 34th loss of the season. The Blazers could not be contained, shooting 58% from field goal range, as well as going 8-for-18 from behind the arc. The Clips were outscored 36-15 in the fourth quarter after going in trailing by 4 points. Brandon Roy continues his dominating performance, scoring 33 points for the Blazers on 11-for-15 shooting. Travis Outlaw followed, adding 20 points to Portland's cause. Al Thornton led LA with 23 points, and Steve Novak scored 21 points, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Fred Jones had 19 points and 7 assists.

Lakers Stay Hot For Portland

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86, improving their winning streak to 6 games and their record to 27-5. The Lakers trailed 25-17 after the first quarter, but outscored Portland 62-41 in the next two quarters. LA had a .493 shooting percentage, while holding the Blazers to just 39% shooting. LA also committed 12 turnovers in the first half, but they were converted for only 12 points. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points, and Pau Gasol scored 19 points to go with 5 rebounds. Trevor Ariza started for Luke Walton, who will be sidelined for a period of time with a foot injury. Vladimir Radmanovic had a season-high 16 points with his new-found playing time. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points to lead the Blazers, who were without top-scorer Brandon Roy.

Clippers Double-Down Portland

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Portland Trail-Blazers 120-112 in double OT, only the Clippers 5th win of the season. Baron Davis hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to tie the game up at the end of regulation, forcing overtime. Zach Randolph dominated his former team, scoring 38 points with 11 rebounds for the Clips, and Davis had 27 points and 6 assists. Brandon Roy was also on fire for Portland, leading the Blazers with 38 points and 9 assists.

Blazing Saddles

Welcome to the home for Los Angeles sports. Let's get things started on the right foot with the Lakers win last night over the Trailblazers. Kobe and the guys got things done on both sides of the ball, with a superb offense and strong defense. LA outscored Portland in all four quarters, and shot .468 from inside the arch, .700 from outside. As always, Kobe was hot with 24 points, as well as the Pau-erful Gasol with 15. Bynum was impressive in his first real game since being injured, with 8 points, 5 blocked shots, and 3 rebounds. Jordan Farmar stood out, scoring 9 points with 6 assists. Tonight, they take on LA's other team, the Clippers.