Lakers Vs. Blazers: Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge Send L.A. To Another Loss In Portland, 107-96

Terrible defense in the second half led to the Los Angeles Lakers losing again at the Rose Garden, falling 107-96 Thursday night to the Portland Trail Blazers. The loss was the Lakers' 17th in their last 21 regular season games in Portland, and dropped the team to 4-4 on the season, including 0-3 on the road so far this season.

Andrew Bynum scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks for the Lakers, his fourth double-double in as many games this season. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points on 13-for-24 shooting.

Apparent Hall of Famer Gerald Wallace absolutely destroyed the Lakers by constantly beating them up and down the floor, scoring 31 points on 13-for-19 shooting on the night. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Portland, who improved to a conference-best 5-1 record.

The game was tied at 66-66 with 6:27 remaining in the third quarter, but Portland took advantage of a completely absent transition defense for the Lakers for a 10-0 run over the next four minutes. Portland outscored the Lakers 32-18 in the third quarter and took an 84-74 lead into the final period.

In the third quarter the Lakers shot 25% (five for 20) from the field while the Blazers shot 56.5% (13 for 23), including three of four from three-point range.

Jamal Crawford scored 17 points off the bench for Portland. The Lakers' bench combined for 14 points on five-for-24 shooting (20.8%). The Lakers on the night missed all 11 of their three-point attempts.

The Lakers return home Friday night for the second game of a back-to-back set, hosting the Golden State Warriors.

For more news and information on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Lakers Vs. Blazers Game Score: Red-Hot Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant Lead Lakers To 56-52 Halftime Lead

Hot shooting fueled the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half Thursday night, as they too a 56-52 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers at halftime at the Rose Garden. The Lakers, who have lost 16 of their last 20 regular season games in Portland, shot 61.5% (24 for 39) in the opening 24 minutes.

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 17 points, making eight of his 11 field goal attempts, and dished out two assists in the first half. Andrew Bynum continued his stellar play of late, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds in 18 minutes. Bynum made all seven of his field goal attempts in the opening half.

The five Lakers' starters combined to make 22 of 29 shots from the field (75.9%) in the first half.

Gerald Wallace scored 17 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 for the Blazers, who shot 43.8% (21 for 48) in the first half. Neither team shot particularly well from distance in the opening half, as Portland made two of six three-point attempts while the Lakers missed all four of theirs.

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Lakers Vs. Blazers: Josh McRoberts Doubtful Thursday Night

As the Los Angeles Lakers look to win their second straight game Thursday night at the Rose Garden against the Portland Trail Blazers, they might be without forward Josh McRoberts. The forward is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game with a sprained left big toe and left thumb.

McRoberts started the first four games of the season with Andrew Bynum serving his season-opening suspension. The 6'10" forward from Duke averaged 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a starter, and picked up 10 total points and nine rebounds in his two games off the bench. McRoberts did not play on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.

Here are Thursday's probable starting lineups in Rip City:

Lakers (4-3)

Point Guard: Derek Fisher

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

Small Forward: Matt Barnes

Power Forward: Pau Gasol

Center: Dwight Howard

Blazers (4-1)

Point Guard: Raymond Felton

Shooting Guard: Wesley Matthews

Small Forward: Gerald Wallace

Power Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge

Center: Marcus Camby

Thursday's 7:30 p.m. PST game will be televised by both TNT and KCAL. For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Lakers Vs. Blazers Game Preview: Game Time, TV Info, And More

Andrew Bynum looks to continue his hot streak as the Los Angeles Lakers head north to battle the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on Thursday night. Bynum has double-doubles in all three games so far this season, and is averaging 22.7 points and 17.0 rebounds so far this year. Bynum had a streak of six straight double-doubles last March. Here are the relevant details of Thursday's game:

Records: Lakers (4-3); Blazers (4-1)

Time: 7:30 p.m. PST

Location: The Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

TV: TNT nationally, and KCAL locally

Offensive Efficiency: Portland 106.4 points per 100 possessions (9th in NBA); Lakers 103.9 (14th)

Defensive Efficiency: Portland 98.1 (sixth); Lakers 98.4 (seventh)

Coming Up Roses: The Blazers are 3-0 so far this season at the Rose Garden, and have beaten the Lakers in 16 of their last 20 regular season games in Portland. The Blazers have won 13 of their last 14 regular season games at home.

One of the Youngest Ever: With his 21 points and 22 rebounds against Houston on Tuesday night, Bynum became the youngest Lakers player with a 20-20 game, at 24 years, 68 days, since Rudy LaRuso put up 30 points and 21 rebounds on February 26, 1961 at 23 years, 107 days old.

Leading Scorers: Kobe Bryant, Lakers (25.9 points per game, fourth in the NBA); LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers (22.2 ppg, ninth in the NBA)

Leading Rebounders: Bynum doesn't yet qualify, so this would be Pau Gasol for the Lakers (8.6 per game); Marcus Camby, Blazers (9.4 per game)

For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Lakers Travel To Portland To Battle Best-In-West Blazers

The Lakers have lost 10 of their last 12 and 16 of their last 20 regular season games at the Rose Garden.