The Los Angeles Lakers are atop the NBA right now, thanks to a win over the Portland Trailblazers and losses from the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In a rematch of the season opener for the Lakers, the 100-86 win was brought about by good defense in the third quarter where the Trailblazers were held to only 16 points. For the second time the season, the Greg Oden-Andrew Bynum match-up was a dud: Oden finished with ten points and four rebounds while Bynum tallied four points and ten rebounds. I guess we're a couple of seasons aways from seeing a Wilt Chamberlain-Bill Russell rivalry with those two bigs.
The Lakers seem to have found their defensive intensity in their current winning streak, which now stands at six games. Since winning last December 22 in Memphis, the Lakers have held their opponents to an average of 94 points, and letting only the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz to at least a hundred points. This is important as the team will face formidable opponents in the next two weeks: New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers are on top of the league right now, but let's see if they can sustain it in the next couple of weeks.
Tags: Los Angeles Lakers
