Kobe Bryant scored 47 points to lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers past the Portland Trail Blazers, 113-106, solidifying their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Playing all 48 minutes of the contest, Bryant also had eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and five blocked shots against only one turnover. His 47 points was a season-high, and set a Rose Garden record for the most points scored in a game by a Blazers opponent.
"He imposed his will on us tonight," Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said of Bryant. "He didn't want to lose the game."
Despite giving up 41 points to the Blazers in the opening period alone, the Lakers managed to come to the halftime break down only by eight points, 61-69.
They opened the third quarter on a 17-2 run to seize control, 78-71, but Rookie of the Year front-runner Damian Lillard brought the Blazers back to the contest after scoring seven points in a span of 24 seconds.
The two squads went back-and-forth early in the fourth period, with the Blazers taking their last lead of the game at 100-98 after a jumper by Will Barton.
A lay-up by Steve Blake off a feed from Pau Gasol sparked a 8-0 run for the Lakers, and two alley-oop dunks by Dwight Howard in the final three minutes sealed the victory.
The Blazers closed to within 108-104 with 1:15 left, but point guard Steve Blake grabbed two crucial rebounds in the final minute to preserve the win for Los Angeles.
"Lillard came out and just started torching us,"Bryant said of the Blazers rookie, who had 17 points in the opening frame. "I figured I'd try to keep the pace. It was like a marathon run, where a runner takes off, and the guy behind him doesn't really want to chase him, but has to just to keep pace."
The Lakers are now at 42-37, a full game ahead of the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot in the West.
Gasol finished with 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Howard had 20 points and 10 boards.
Lillard wound up with a career-high 38 points and nine assists in a losing effort for Portland, who dropped to 33-45 this season. – With a report from Reuters
source: abs-cbnnews.com
