Lakers at Trail Blazers
The Los Angeles Lakers look to sweep a back-to-back for the first time this season when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at the Rose Garden. Every game is a must-win for the Lakers, who moved a half-game ahead of Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 104-96 win over New Orleans on Tuesday. Utah owns the tiebreaker with the Lakers, who finish the regular season with home games against Golden State, San Antonio and Houston.
If the Lakers reach the postseason, they’ll need to order extra ice for star Kobe Bryant. The 15-time All-Star has played at least 41 minutes in his last five games, and he was seen with ice on both knees and his left shoulder after scoring 30 points in Tuesday’s win. Bryant has averaged 32.3 points in three meetings this season against the struggling Trail Blazers, who have lost a season-high eight consecutive games.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles), KGW (Portland)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (41-37): Los Angeles leads the season series against Portland 2-1, but they lost by 10 at the Rose Garden on Oct. 31. The Lakers received a boost on Tuesday when forward Metta World Peace returned just 12 days after undergoing surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee. World Peace, who was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, had four points in 15 minutes against the Hornets. Point guard Steve Nash has missed the last four games with hip and hamstring soreness, forcing Steve Blake into a more prominent role. Blake had six assists in nearly 40 minutes on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (33-44): The season can’t end soon enough for Portland, which might have to start four rookies against the Lakers because of various injuries. Guard Wesley Matthews (ankle), forward Nicolas Batum (shoulder) and center J.J. Hickson (back) will all likely miss the game, which means rookies Will Barton, Victor Claver and Meyers Leonard should all see plenty of playing time. Portland will need a big game from rookie point guard Damian Lillard, who appears to be wearing down after averaging 38.4 minutes this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland has won three in a row and 12 of the last 14 games against Los Angeles at the Rose Garden.
2. The Lakers are 8-17 in 25 road games against Western Conference opponents.
3. Lillard has averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 assists in three games against the Lakers this season.