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Bryant dominates as Lakers down Blazers

Apr 11, 2013 - 4:59 AM Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant shot 14-of-27 from the field and a perfect 18-of-18 from the foul line for a season-high 47 points as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Portland Trail Blazers, 113-106.

Bryant stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere as well, finishing with eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals for the Lakers, who have won five of six and moved a game up on Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Pau Gasol tallied 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Dwight Howard added 20 points, 10 boards and three blocks.

Damian Lillard scored a career-best 38 points while dishing out nine assists for Portland, which extended its losing streak to nine games. LaMarcus Aldridge notched a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Luke Babbitt shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range for 12 points off the bench.

Portland opened the game on a 9-2 run and carried a 41-33 lead at the end of one quarter.

The Blazers led throughout the second quarter, and while the Lakers ripped off five straight points in the final 40 seconds of the half, Aldridge threw down an alley-oop from Victor Claver in the waning seconds, as Portland held a 69-61 advantage going into intermission.

Bryant scored 28 of his 47 points in the high-scoring first half, while Lillard poured in 25 of his 38.

The Lakers came out of halftime red-hot, ripping off a 17-2 run to take a 78-71 lead with 7:55 to play in the frame. The Blazers answered immediately with a 7-0 run of their own and eventually entered the fourth quarter with a 90-88 advantage.

The teams exchanged leads for the better part of the fourth quarter before Los Angeles scored eight straight points to take a 106-100 lead with just over four minutes remaining and it never surrendered that advantage the rest of the way. Portland managed just six points in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the contest.

Game Notes

Bryant has scored 40 or more points eight times this season, tied with Carmelo Anthony for most in the league ... After beating New Orleans on Tuesday, the Lakers have won on consecutive days for the first time all season ... Steve Blake chipped in eight points and seven rebounds for the Lakers ... Los Angeles outscored Portland in the paint, 54-32 ... The Blazers' losing streak is their longest since dropping 11 straight during the 2005-06 campaign.