KOBE'S 41 IS NOT ENOUGH LAKERS STAR NETS ANOTHER 40-POINT GAME, BUT DEFENSE FALTERS IN LOSS PORTLAND 113, LAKERS 103.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. - Somebody forgot to tell the Lakers their momentum came not from Kobe Bryant's spectacular scoring run, but from a three-game winning streak.

With all attention focused on whether Bryant could extend his string of 45-point games to five, the Lakers fell on their faces, losing 113-103 to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Western Conference's worst team, Wednesday night at the Rose Garden.

Bryant finished with 41 points, but the Lakers somehow became only the second team all season to give up more than 100 points to the Blazers. That Portland entered Wednesday having lost six consecutive games only made matters worse.

It was anything but the easy night Jackson had hoped for against a Blazers team that rates among the NBA's youngest. It also cast Bryant's streak in a new light, with the Lakers possibly needing him to score 40-plus every night to have a chance.

But Bryant missed eight of 11 shots in the fourth quarter when the Lakers desperately needed him to lift them back from an 89-79 deficit. Bryant had 13 points in the fourth and went 13 of 29 for the game.

If the Lakers play defense the same way they did Wednesday, they might as well give Bryant the ball to shoot every time. The Blazers came in as the NBA's lowest-scoring team, averaging just 87 points per game, a total they eclipsed in three quarters.

The Lakers (18-17) gave Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, both former Washington Wizards, too much space to shoot. Dixon finished with 27 points, and Blake added 19 - a combined 27 above their season average.

The only move that worked all night was moving Bryant from the wing to his old position in the backcourt to start the second quarter. Bryant had 17 points in the quarter, but was otherwise shaky.

The Lakers had a chance to cut the Blazers' lead to five with eight minutes left, but Bryant dipped his shoulder into Jarrett Jack on a drive and was called for a charge. Bryant later got caught across the face by Ruben Patterson coming down on a shot.

They had a second chance to try to steal a victory heading in the final two minutes. Chris Mihm couldn't get a hook to drop and Zach Randolph (17 points) scored inside for the Blazers.

Bryant had scored 45 points in four consecutive games, the first time an NBA player had done so since Wilt Chamberlain in November 1964. He did record his 11th 40-point game of the season.

The Lakers looked lost in the third quarter, falling behind 80-73 with 3:45 left. Dixon drove and converted a three-point play with Smush Parker missing a tough bank shot at the other end.

Blake stroked a 3-pointer and Bryant couldn't answer for the Lakers. The capper came when forward Lamar Odom threw an ill-advised pass to Bryant inside that the Blazers intercepted.

It resulted with Viktor Khryapa's basket, even after Randolph fumbled the ball while surrounded by multiple Lakers.

Phil Jackson had hoped any Lakers not named Bryant would find a way to take advantage of their own opportunities in the offense. The Lakers got a couple of baskets off high post jumpers and a couple of Odom drives, but otherwise put up a host of bad shots.

At the start of the second quarter, Jackson elected to return Bryant to the backcourt, the position he had played in the triangle offense before this season. The goal was to get Bryant facilitating the offense and for the Lakers to get anything going.

But putting the ball in his hands seemed to trigger Bryant, who went on to score 17 of the Lakers' 34 points in the quarter. With Bryant in the backcourt, Odom sat for nearly seven minutes to start the second quarter.

Odom finished with 15 points, Mihm had 13 and Parker added 12.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, chases down the ball from Portland's Juan Dixon on Wednesday.

Don Ryan/Associated Press

Box:

LAKERS vs. CLEVELAND

- Ross Siler