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Lakers try to stay hot vs. upstart Blazers

Jan 4, 2009 - 2:56 PM Portland (20-13) at LA Lakers (26-5) 9:30 p.m. EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Things are starting to get back to normal for the Los Angeles Lakers - which is bad news for the rest of the Western Conference.

After going through a brief spell of vulnerability late last month, the Lakers have re-established their dominance with five straight wins.

One of their most exciting challengers in the West, the Portland Trail Blazers, come to town on Sunday night in hopes of snapping that streak. It certainly won't be easy.

Los Angeles dropped two in a row from December 19-20 and nearly fell to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies. But since then, they've pulled out impressive victories the mighty Boston Celtics as well as New Orleans and Utah. Defense - an Achilles' heel at times earlier in the season - has tightened up, while the Lakers remain the highest-scoring team in the league at 107.5 points per game.

Scarier yet, Kobe Bryant is starting to round into Kobe Bryant form after spending the better part of two months on cruise control. He dropped 31 in a December 28 blowout over the Warriors, then went for 40 - one short of his season high - in a 113-100 triumph over the Jazz on Friday.

The Trail Blazers opened their season against the Lakers at the Staples Center - and it wasn't a pleasant memory. They shot just 34.5 percent (29-of-84) in an ugly, 96-76 loss.

Since then, they have emerged as a legitimate playoff team, but have lost three of their last four away from home. To make matters worse, All-Star guard Brandon Roy - the team's best player and leading scorer - is out for at least the next week with a sprained right hamstring.