Rookie Ratchuk Leads Lakers
Portland Trailblazers 103 @ Los Angeles Lakers 116
ABOVE: Fredrick Ratchuk (2) shoots a difficult leaning jumper over two defenders
Jan 13, Los Angeles - Who said the Lakers would struggle without Kobe Bryant? The Lakers looked as strong as ever as they improved their record to the best in the Western Conference behind a strong double double from rookie point guard Fredrick Ratchuk who poured in 18 points and dished out a career high 14 dimes.
"Fred stepped up big time tonight!" Head coach Magic Johnson exclaimed after the game. Assistant coach Michael Cooper added, "The rookie really has alot of upside. He showed us that he is a leader tonight."
The little warrior was aided in the teams win with double doubles coming from both the Lakers' big men; Carlos Boozer and Kwame Brown while small forward Ron Artest top scored with 26. "It was a team effort," Boozer stated, "However, Fred really got our engine going by running the show by himself without Kobe there to help."
The game started off slowly with both teams missing many open opportunities but as time progressed, so did the pace. Soon the STAPLES Centre crowd was treated to an exciting display of athleticism from both teams with Boozer leading the Lakers' charge scoring 12 first quarter points and Zach Randolph adding 8 for his squad.
The Lakers then pushed their advantage out towards the 20 point mark, leading 48-32 with 5:37 left in the second quarter. However, a collapse at the end of the quarter allowed the Blazers to relinquish and minimise the sizeable margin. "That was horrible defence we played in that second quarter," Kareem Rush said.
The Lakers then let the Trailblazers level the score at the beggining of the third period behind a strong effort from Darius Miles whom scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter. "I was in my zone," Miles explained, "All my shots just kept falling."
LA self diagnosed the problem and found their solution in their two rookies; 7'1" Jared Randall and 7'0" Pavel Janssens. The duo slowed down the Blazers' scoring by forming a 'wall' that the opposition couldn't score over. Sebastian Telfair commented on the pairing of the two young men, "Those two guys will be a force in 5 years, give them time to improve and earn playing time." The Lakers immediately returned to pole position behind a 10-0 run which saw Ratchuk sink a fadeaway, then two more treys. Kareem Rush's dunk capped the run as LA edged closer to their win.
The fourth quarter featured many highlights including dunks from Carlos Boozer, Kwame Brown, Darius Miles and Ron Artest. Rush sank a three point dagger which opened a 18 point lead for the Lakers, while Sebastian Telfair converted a four point play to inch the Blazers closer to the dominant home side. Derek Anderson's coast to coast with 33.2 secodns also brang the crowd to its feet.
Blazers' forward Zach Randolph lead his team with 26 and 20 which included 10 offensive rebounds. Shareef Abdur-Rahim who resigned with the team last offseason was mediocre with 18 and 14 while Nick Van Exel scored 14 points and 7 assists.
NOTES
All 10 Starters scored in double fiigures... Kobe Bryant was prsent inside the STAPLES Centre but didn't join his team's bench... Blazers' Sophomore Sebastian Telfair recieved a standing ovation after completing a four point play... Current Record: 9-4 (5-0, 4-4)...
BOXSCORE