Trail Blazers at Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers attempt to rebound from their first loss in six games when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. Los Angeles had lost four in a row before reeling off five straight victories to even its record at 14-14. The winning streak came to an end Wednesday as the Lakers dropped a 126-114 decision to the Nuggets in Denver.
Los Angeles brings a two-game home winning streak into Friday's meeting with Portland, which has lost two straight on the road. The Trail Blazers had a string of five consecutive wins halted at Sacramento on Sunday but avenged the loss with a 109-91 home triumph over the Kings on Wednesday. Portland has lost four straight and 18 of 21 encounters with the Lakers at the Staples Center but posted a 116-106 victory over Los Angeles at home on Oct. 31.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, KGW (Portland), TWC Sportsnet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (14-13): Center J.J. Hickson is seeking his 10th consecutive double-double. His current nine-game run is the longest by a Trail Blazer since Terry Porter also recorded nine straight double-doubles from Jan. 23-Feb. 10, 1987. Hickson, forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Damian Lillard each posted a double-double in Wednesday's triumph over Sacramento. Lillard, who had 17 points and 11 assists, fell two rebounds shy of a triple-double. Swingman Wesley Matthews may miss his third straight game as he still is nursing a strained left hip.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (14-15): Kobe Bryant scored 40 points in Wednesday's loss to extend his streak of consecutive games with at least 30 points to 10. The superstar has failed to reach the 30-point plateau only once in his last 13 contests, falling one point shy at New Orleans on Dec. 5. Bryant is six shy of matching the longest such streak of his career, a 16-game run from Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2003. He is fifth on the all-time list with 402 career 30-point performances, trailing Michael Jordan (562), Wilt Chamberlain (515), Karl Malone (435) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (429). With 116 career 40-point games, he is behind only Chamberlain (271) and Jordan (173).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers F Pau Gasol is probable for Friday's game despite being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
2. Trail Blazers F Nicolas Batum has made at least one 3-pointer in a career-high 22 consecutive contests.
3. Los Angeles owns a dominant 74-27 home record against Portland.
PREDICTION: Lakers 106, Trail Blazers 98.