April 3rd, 2008 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in ??????????????????????? 
The Los Angeles Lakers got a bit of good news when forward/center Pau Gasol returned to their lineup – just in time for Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers; however, the usual suspect, one Kobe Bryant, had his way against the Blazers.? Bryant scored 36 points, leading the Lakers past the Trail Blazers, 104-91 at Staples Center.
Neither team held a lead larger than 5 points in the second quarter, they went into halftime tied at 50; Los Angeles outscored Portland 19-9?to start the second half for a 69-59 lead, and the Blazers wouldn’t get any closer than 7 points for the remainder of the game.? Los Angeles’ leading scorer was the aforementioned Bryant with 36 points, including 4 treys, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals while Derek Fisher scored 13 with 2 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.?
Portland was led by Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw with 23 points each – with Webster making 6 three-pointers, grabbing a rebound, dishing out an assist and had a steal while Outlaw grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 3 assists; he also had a steal and had a block. Steve Blake recorded a double-double, pitching in with 12, along with 3 rebounds, 10 assists and a steal.? Los Angeles (51-24) remains home to host the Dallas Mavericks Friday while Portland (38-37) returns home to host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
