8:19- The other Blazer currently having a good start to the game tonight is Steve Blake, who has a three and two dimes.  He's a guy who has historically killed the Lakers.  If he just played the Lakers, Blake might be an HOFer some day.  As John Ireland once put it during a conversation with us, "Steve Blake was put on this earth to make the Lakers look bad." 

8:03- Kobe brings the Lakers back to within one, 11-10.

5:48- The Blazers are doing a good job of getting Outlaw some space to get away from Kobe defensively.  He's been able to shake free a few times, both to get to the basket and also for a couple clean looks from outside.  They're also iso-ing Aldridge on Odom, and letting the young un use his length and size to work on LO.  17-10 Blazers coming out of the timeout.

4:30- LO misses an open jumper from short range.  They're getting some very clean looks at the hoop, but just aren't converting.  If a few of those drop, it's a tighter game.  Right now, though, the Lakers are going to have to figure out a way to stop Aldridge, who drew a second foul on LO.  That sends him to the bench, Turiaf in to replace him.

19-10 Portland.

2:30- Timeout on the floor.  Lakers down 24-12, and are generally getting out worked on the floor.  Portland is far more crisp offensively than the Lakers are defensively.  They're a step behind everything, and are running around a lot. No answers  yet  for Aldridge.  On the other end, the 35% FG number the Lakers currently sport is misleading.  They've missed a bunch of easy shots.  This is a good test for the Lakers, who haven't been behind in a game for a while.  San Antonio ended the first quarter down 16-5 last night against Atlanta, and still won by ten, I think.  Maybe eight.  Whatever.  The point is, they won, and pretty handily. 

Good teams don't get all freaked out by bad play early.  There's still a lot of time to get back into the game, if they can tighten up  alittle.

Farmar in for Fish out of the TO. 

Big minutes for the seconds. 

:50- Farmar hits a three, a nice change from a couple trips back, when Martell Webster just posterized Sasha.  That was ugly. 

END OF THE FIRST: Ronny grabs a big offensive board at the end of the quarter off a Sasha miss, and sinks the putback for a late two.  Big bucket, as it draws the Lakers back to within 10, 27-17.  Nothing to freak out about.  It's the worst quarter they''ve played in a while, probably since Atlanta.  They're really just not crisp.  A step slow defensively, the ball movement we've grown accustomed to seeing isn't quite there.   But it's one quarter, and there are three left.  A lift from the seconds at the top of the quarter--- wait, LO and Kobe will start the quarter, so it's not really the seconds.  More the 1.5s....
AK will have the Q.

SECOND QUARTER

11:49 - Jordan Farmar wastes no time hitting one from distance to make it a seven point contest.  Unfortunately, his follow up attempt 46 seconds later ain't nearly as pretty.  Nothing but air.

10:19 - Kobe does his best Peyton Manning impression, shuttling a Sergio Fernandez miss three quarters downcourt to Farmar, who just beats a streaking Blazer defender to put in a layup.  Apparently enjoying the QB work, Kobe uses the next possession to hit a streaking Ronny Turiaf under the bucket after the break.  Channing Frye clocks Ronny on the way up.  Foul called. And one converted.  Portland time out.  With barely two minutes having passed, the Lakers have cut the deficit down to four and have a decidedly purple and gold momentum in swing. 

Not shockingly, this progress has coincided with a direct rise in energy.

9:32 - Unfortunately, progress may now get tested.  LO gets hit with an offensiev foul, his third whistle of the half.  That'll sit him for the rest of the half.  Pau enters the mix.   The Spaniard can barely break a sweat before his new coach picks up a T.  Me thinks he doesn't approve of all the referee attention focused on his squad.

7:45 - Steve Blake hits an inevitable three.  I say "inevitable" because the possession featured three offensive boards for the Blazers.  Give any NBA team that many tries and something will eventually go down. 

7:09 - Having just set up Kobe for the triple, Farmar connect from 17-feet out.  That's a basker's dozen working for Farmar this half.  He's doing an awful lot to keep the Lakers in this contest, what with all the cold shooting and foul troubles plaguing Kobe and especially - After LO.

5:58 - Kobe skies to snatch a strong rebound under Portland's bucket, then puts up a 17-footer that touches rim... bounces... bounces... then finally gets tapped in from the left side by Pau Gasol.  Bucket well timed and seriously uplifting, both for the crowd and this team.  It not only puts the Lakers in the positive (2 points up), but lifts the spirits to set up some razzle dazzle ball movement from Farmar to Turiaf to Sasha.  The downtown shot falls.  The Lakers are now up by 5.

2:23 - Mo's swung back Portland's way care of back to back five foot hooks from LaMarcus Aldridge and additional makes from Outlaw and Blake have put the Blazers back up by 3.  With time running down on the Laker shot clock and Fish having trouble getting some space, it's looking like a lost chance to cut that newly discovered pit.  But Fish's miss gets tapped in by Gasol (who's doing great work on the glass, 8 boards this half) and it's now a one point match.

1:09 - ROnny just picked up a foul and you may notice he's talking with the refs right now.  I don't think he's actually arguing the call, but letting the officials know that Pryzbylla is hooking him under the basket in every scrum.  As someone seated right behind that goal, it's actually very blantant.

18.5 - Walton stays with Outlaw along the perimeter, but allows him too much space.  His 18 footer is good, the second consecutive possession featuring a Travis jumper gone down with Walton assigned to him.    

The half ends with Portland up 51, 44.  The Lakers clawed their way back in, briefly took the lead and are by no means out of this.  Truth be told, had they not started the contest so awful, it might be a different game.  It would also be considerably different if they had Lamar on the floor, who's spent much of the half glued to the pine in foul trouble.  Odom's absence probably also goes a long way to explain why the Lakers are getting killed on the glass (24-18), allowing Portland seven offensive boards.  I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I imagine the Blazers' second chance points are considerably too high.  We'll see if they can make the adjustments in the third.  BK will supervise.   

THIRD QUARTER:

Not a good start for LO, as he picks up the offensive foul with less than a minute gone.  That gives him four, and he'll have to be careful.  PJ leave shim in, though.

9:15- Jack beats Kobe off the dribble.  He's had a little trouble tonight staying in front of guys.  That, of course, gives him a lot in common with the rest of the team.  55-46 Portland.

8:150 Great pass from Kobe to Pau under the hoop for an easy dunk.  That's what the Lakers need to do- penetrate, and find the open man. The ball movementan doff ball movement hasn't been particularly good tonight.  To much catch, hold, pass.  Not enough crisp play. 

6:45- Lakers down seven, now four as Sasha buries the three coming off the screen.  Portland calls timeout, up 57-53.  Very little about this game has gone the Lakers way, other than that good run from the seconds to end the first, start the second.  Still, they're only down by four halfway through the third quarter.  One good push puts them back in the lead. It doesn't like they're going to be in good form before the final buzzer.  The question is if they'll win anyway. 

To do it, they need to tighten up on the defensive glass, and find a way to generate better looks.  The offense has been as stagnant tonight as it's been in a long time.  Overall, they're getting beat up on the glass, 29-22.  Not a good margin, especially at home. 

5:40- Still no answer for Aldridge down low, as he bodies up Gasol, bounces into him a few times, then hits the right handed shot off the glass.  Aldridge has shown a lot of really solid post moves down low.  Nothing fancy, but he can use both hands, use the glass, go without it, face up, etc. 

4:05- Stupid play by Kobe.  The defender got a hand on him, but not much, and to pop off like that after a potential momentum building play isn't smart.  Fish picks up a foul on the other end, and points to the screener looking for a foul.  The Lakers really aren't playing with much composure on either end.

Webster beats Kobe off a ball fake, and the Blazers are up 64-57.   

1:57- Great pass by LO over the top to Gasol down low draws a foul from Pryzbilla.  That's one of the best jobs they've done getting low in a while.  There has been little aggressive cutting, aggressive passing, etc.  They're getting passes, then holding the ball.  Very little fluidity.  Since the first half, when they were in the paint a lot but missed a lot of shots, they've lost some of that attack-the-basket mentality.  Outside shooting got them back into the game, but they're close enough to work the ball low, and get into the offense.

64-59 Portland coming out of the TO.

1:37- Illegal defense called against the Lakers, and Blake gets back to the line.  He now has five points of T's.  He only averages seven a night.  Like we said before, something about the Lakers makes Blake into a superstar.

1:17- Farmar gets to the basket, and draws the and one on Rodriguez.  Good start for him coming back into the game. 

:55- 65-62 Portland.

END OF THE THIRD: A great drive and dish from Kobe to Turiaf gives the Lakers a 67-65 lead heading into the fourth.  The key to the play?  Turiaf moving without the ball, diving to the hoop and following Kobe to give him an outlet.  There's been way too little of that over the course of the game. In previous games, it's seemed like every time someone was moving forward towards the basket, someone was right there with him. 

The Lakers aren't playing well, but they're winning.  12 minutes to go.  AK will have the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

11:36 - Outlaw blocks Kobe's shot from 19 feet out.   I swear, that kid's got the longest arms in the entire league this side of Kevin Durant.  They are seriously long, given an even more stretched out look by some seriously narrow, wiry shoulders.  The kid is essentially a coat hanger with ridiculous athleticism.

10:30 - A 17-foot make by Bryant is gussied up by Sasha's triple from the corner.  That shot from downtown breaks a tie at 69 apiece, putting the Lakers up by 3 and prompting a Portland timeout.

8:03 - For once, Outlaw is on the defensive.  Kobe gets him off balance with a little shake and bake just inside the arc, then buries the jumper in his face.  Next possesion.  More Kobe, this time blowing past every Portland defender for the layup.  Lakers now up by 5. 

6:26 - The Lakers take a cue from the Blazer blueprint.  Snag an offensive rebound and give yourself another shot at a bucket.  Pau's offensive glasswork off Sasha's downtown miss end sup in LO's hands, who whips the ball behind the arc to Farmar for the triple.  Money.  One possession, a Steve Blake brick and an LO rebound later, Farmar's good for a conventional score.  Portland takes another timeout (and is it just me, or does it feel like they've already taken about 11 this game).  L.A. now has a double digit lead (10 to be exact)

4:36 - Either there's a serious confetti malfunction going on right now or those rumors about the NBA being fixed aren't too far off.  Portland's still very much in this game with plenty of time left, yet streamers are flying around Staples.

3:05 - Nate McMillan just got tossed for busting a gasket in the ref's direction.  I guess he took offense to the confetti.

2:15 - I hate to say it, but from where I'm sitting, that block on LO looked clean.  Maybe some contact at the end, but a LOT of ball.

42.9 - The game's pretty much in hand by this point, but nobody's gonna complain about a cherry on the top three ball from Sasha.

And NOW the confetti falls in accurate and timely fashion.  It wasn't always pretty and until the closing stretches, it rarely looked secure.  But it ended up happening.  30/9/7 from Kobe lef the way for the starters, who got precious little in the way of scoring from Fish, Walton and LO (although to be fair, 11 boards from Odom certainly helped).  Bryant's cause was seriously helped, however, by the ever-steady bench.  Farmar led all pine guys with 21, but the dozen from Sasha and Ronny's eight were more than needed.  Thanks for droppung by.  More to come later.

AK