BRYANT DOES IT AGAIN HE SCORES 40; O'NEAL LOOKS GOOD IN RETURN LAKERS 92, PORTLAND 84.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

The return of Shaquille O'Neal was an interesting topic of discussion before Friday night's game, but by the fourth quarter, all attention returned to where it has been for most of the past two weeks: on Kobe Bryant and his amazing scoring streak.

Bryant tapered off after a brilliant first half against the Portland Trail Blazers but made enough big plays down the stretch to help the Lakers to a 92-84 victory over Portland in front of 18,997 at Staples Center.

The game was an all-around success for the Lakers. Bryant scored 40 points, extending his streak to eight consecutive games with at least 40, and O'Neal returned from a three-game absence with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Two free throws from O'Neal gave the Lakers an 86-81 lead with 2:10 remaining. Bonzi Wells missed two free throws and Rasheed Wallace shot an airball, and the Blazers were forced to foul O'Neal deep in the post on the Lakers' next possession. O'Neal made both for an 88-81 lead with 1:18 remaining.

O'Neal displayed good mobility and no visible effects of the toe and knee ailments that had sidelined him for the past three games. O'Neal deferred to Bryant during stretches of the first half when Bryant showed the ability to carry the team, but O'Neal had his moments as well.

``There has to be a balance out there,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before the game. ``We have to use all of our strengths as a basketball team. If there's a team that's going to be aggressive and trap and try to get the ball out of Kobe's hands, it's Portland.''

The Blazers didn't show that effort until the start of the third quarter, and by that time Bryant had already torched them for 25 points on an 11-for-20 shooting performance in the first half. But the Blazers clamped down on Bryant in the third quarter, and O'Neal became a viable scoring threat.

O'Neal showed little rust from the beginning. On his first touch, 80 seconds into the first quarter, O'Neal beat Dale Davis with a spin move in the post but missed a layup. Just more than a minute later, O'Neal grabbed a missed Bryant jumper and put back a dunk.

But neither Bryant nor O'Neal were dominant, and the Blazers took a 18-13 lead with five minutes left in the quarter. A jumper from the corner by Bryant and a finger-roll layup by O'Neal reduced that deficit quickly, and the Lakers began to take charge behind Bryant.

Bryant's jumper cut Portland's lead to 20-19, and after two free throws from Robert Horry gave the Lakers their first lead since 7-6, Bryant scored the Lakers' last six points of the quarter. A Bryant jumper gave the Lakers a 27-22 lead, but the Blazers scored the last four points of the quarter. Bryant finished the quarter with 15 points.

Neither team took more than a five-point lead until late in the second quarter, and even when Bryant left the game for four minutes, the Lakers stayed in it because of the threat of O'Neal in the post and his ability to pass and create offense for teammates.

Portland's outside shooting fell off in the second quarter and the Blazers scored just 16 points, thanks in part to some strong interior defense by the Lakers.

The Lakers opened a seven-point halftime lead by scoring eight of the last 10 points of the second quarter, capped by Bryant's 22-foot jumper.

Bryant took just three shots from the field in the third quarter, and the Blazers threatened to pull away with 12 consecutive points to start the third. The Lakers didn't score their first points of the second half until Robert Horry's jumper 4:34 into the quarter, and by then Portland had a five-point lead.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 4 boxes

Photo:

(color) The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, center, has his shot blocked, but still finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 92-84 victory over Portland on Friday at Staples Center.

Charlotte Schmid/Maybach

Box:

(1) STORY LINES (see text)

(2) RACE IS ON

(3) KOBE WATCH

(4) GAME RECAP