L.A. Lakers: Are Gasol, Bynum, and Odom the NBA's Top Postseason Advantage?

Kobe Bryant may lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2010-11 NBA Finals, but if the team hopes to capture their 3rd consecutive title it will be because of the play of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.

Gasol, Odom, and Bynum give the Lakers one of the biggest, most talented, and productive front lines in the NBA, and it may be an advantage that no other team can match in the postseason.

The only other trio that even comes close to matching the production of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom is the Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson.

The Lakers' players average 44.8 points per game and 27 rebounds, while the Bulls' trio averages 37 points and 25.3 rebounds.

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Matthews powers Portland past Philadelphia

PORTLAND, Ore. – Wesley Matthews had 17 of his 28 points in the first quarter, helping the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-101 Saturday night.

Gerald Wallace added 25 points and a season-high eight assists for the Blazers (40-29), who won for the seventh time in nine games to move within a half-game of Denver for the fifth playoff spot in the Western Conference. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points and Nicolas Batum finished with 16.

Lou Williams had 24 points, part of a 59-point night for Philadelphia's reserves. Thaddeus Young had 19 points and Jodie Meeks added 17.

The Sixers (36-34) played without Andre Igoudala, who has been bothered by knee tendinitis. Leading scorer Elton Brand was held to 10 points.

The Blazers led the whole way. Philadelphia was as close as 92-89 with 9:11 remaining after Brand hit three straight shots, but Portland responded with a 9-0 run.

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Bynum may be NBA's biggest big man

Others are taller and some weigh more, but is there a bigger big man than Andrew Bynum in the NBA? Bynum, officially listed at 7-foot and 285 pounds, certainly measured up against the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, who's 6-11, 275.

"He's a big guy, man," Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson said of Bynum after the Lakers rallied to defeat the Magic 97-84 on Monday night at Staples Center for their 10th victory in 11 games since the All-Star break.

"He's a handful," Nelson continued. "It's like he's out there and you think you've got the ball, and he has it in his hands. You're jumping for the ball, but he's just standing there tipping it to himself to get those extra shots."

Bynum scored 10 points and matched his career high with 18 rebounds Monday, his fourth consecutive game with 10 or more points and his sixth straight with 12 or more rebounds. He's had a big impact on the Lakers' winning ways since the All-Star break.

After rounding into form slowly following offseason right knee surgery that sidelined him for the first 24 games of 2010-11, Bynum has become a force in the paint for the Lakers. His season averages have risen to 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds.

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Impressive Lakers roll past Orlando in 2nd half

LOS ANGELES – By the time Kobe Bryant talked himself into a little confidence in his swollen ankle in the second half, Andrew Bynum and the Los Angeles Lakers' reserves had already taken care of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Pau Gasol scored 23 points, Bryant added 16 while playing on a sprained left ankle, and the Lakers roared away in the second half for their 10th win in 11 games, 97-84 Monday night.

Bynum had 10 points, a career high-tying 18 rebounds and four blocks while hounding Howard into nine turnovers — four more than the entire Lakers squad — in another eye-catching low-post game for the Lakers' young center.

It all added up to a rather easy night of work for Bryant, who decided to play despite seriously rolling his ankle during the third quarter of Saturday's win at Dallas.

"It was more mental," said Bryant, who went 7 for 19 and missed eight shots in the first half. "It affected my bounce a little bit just because of the trust factor, just trusting it in the first half. Then at halftime, I just gave it a little pep talk."

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Bryant struggles and still leads Lakers over Mavs

DALLAS – Kobe Bryant overcame a sore ankle to score 16 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 96-91 on Saturday night.

Bryant shot just 6 of 20, but scored six points and assisted on the other basket in a 9-0 run by the Lakers late in the second quarter. That snapped a tie and put them ahead to stay.

After Bryant came down awkwardly on his left ankle late in the third quarter and left the game for a bit, the Lakers immediately scored eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 10.

The Mavericks (47-19) are only a half-game ahead of Los Angeles (47-20) for second place in the Western Conference.

After topping the Heat yet again, this Rose is in full bloom

Within the larger confines of The Race To The MVP, a dash to the More Valuable Player Award broke out Thursday night at Chicago's United Center.

That's More Valuable, rather than Most, because in this case it was a comparative competition rather than a superlative. The Race is a generous form, with spots for 10 MVP candidates even though the NBA's official ballot allows for only five. But with Derrick Rose and LeBron James running 1-2 -- in that order -- atop The Race for weeks now, it seemed appropriate that the showdown of their teams, the Chicago Bulls vs. the Miami Heat, might narrow the MVP focus in laser-like fashion.

Members of the committee, all of whom were in the house, weren't the only ones who saw it that way.

"So would it be safe to say that the result of tonight's big matchup between Miami vs. Chicago (in Chicago) will determine who the #1 ranked guy on the Race is tomorrow?" e-mailer "Yoon Mi" wrote. "I can't wait cause it is going to be an awesome game and a possible playoff preview. "Personally I agree with ESPN's award watch that LeBron is the MVP right now but I agree with you on the other 2-10 rankings. Hopefully LBJ can prove me right tonight with a big road win and send Chicago to a second consecutive loss. Cheers!"

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Cavaliers Target Guard Baron Davis Ahead of Today's NBA Trade Deadline

The Cleveland Cavaliers may join the New Jersey Nets and Atlanta Hawks in adding new point guards ahead of today’s National Basketball Association trade deadline.

The Cavaliers reached an agreement in principle to acquire Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon, Yahoo Sports reports, citing unidentified league officials.

Davis has averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds over his 12-year NBA career.

The Nets acquired point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz yesterday, while the Hawks last night got Kirk Hinrich from Washington in a five-player trade that sent Mike Bibby to the Wizards.

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