Lakers leave no doubt

LOS ANGELES -- By the fourth quarter, Lakers coach Phil Jackson could sit calmly on the bench in his Zen state of choice, knowing the longest losing streak of his coaching career (six games) would soon end.

Unlike the first two games of the Celtics' five-game tour of the Western Conference, there was no suspense in the final period as the Lakers romped to a 122-96 victory. So, the fourth became an opportunity for Kobe Bryant (38 points, nine assists) and Paul Pierce (15 points, six assists) to rest, and Leon Powe to prove he deserved more playing time.

After the game, Doc Rivers said Powe had earned more playing time with his performance, but that marked a rare compliment from the coach.

Even when the Celtics have struggled in past seasons, they usually manage to make games with the Lakers competitive. Not last night, as Boston dropped its 27th game of the last 30.

"I thought the effort was horrible, for the most part," said Rivers. "Maybe our guys attended too many Oscar parties . . . [Last night] was one of those games where I just thought we gave in, and that happens when you've lost as many games as we've lost."

Long before Sebastian Telfair failed to connect with Gerald Green for an alley-oop dunk late in the third quarter, the Celtics knew it was not their night. The play simply underscored the Celtics' shortcomings throughout the decisive period. It was only appropriate that the Celtics went for showy instead of simple, because they have a habit of making the game unnecessarily complicated.

The Lakers outscored the Celtics, 33-20, in the third, opening the quarter with a 13-4 run. Smush Parker capped the spurt with a 3-pointer that pushed the Lakers ahead, 78-58, with 9:06 remaining in the quarter. The Lakers stretched their lead to 24 as it quickly became apparent the Celtics did not have a comeback in them. Bryant put together another strong offensive quarter to ensure the Lakers would end their losing streak, starting the third with an alley-oop layup, free throws, and a 3-pointer that set the tone for the remainder of the game.

The bad news came early for the Celtics -- Wednesday night, when the Lakers lost to the Trail Blazers, to be precise. Fresh off his All-Star MVP performance, Bryant struggled in that game. Odds were against that happening twice in a row, especially with a losing streak to snap. If there was any doubt Bryant would return to form against Boston, it ended about the same time as the first quarter as the Lakers superstar knocked down a 14-footer to finish the period with 22 points.

Bryant scored only 3 points in the second quarter, but it didn't matter because his mere presence proved enough to distract Boston. While the Celtics' defense tried to contain Bryant in the second quarter, his teammates stepped up and made sure the Lakers held a comfortable halftime lead, 65-54.

While Bryant wasn't scoring, he was earning some impressive assists. A behind-the-back pass at the end of a three-on-one break led to a layup by Parker. Then there was the alley-oop pass on the run from almost midcourt that Ronny Turiaf finished with a layup.

The Celtics, meanwhile, were predictably inconsistent. They staged a 17-5 run and drew within 1 (52-51) midway through the second quarter, but never regained the lead after building a 9-point advantage in the first quarter.

Bryant willed the Lakers back from a bad start with his shooting, then let the natural course of events take place, which means Boston making a game interesting for a while, but failing to finish what it starts. A prime example came when the Lakers closed the second quarter with a 9-0 run and carried the momentum into the second half, dominating the third quarter on the way to a blowout.

"Once we got down, we kind of got discouraged," said Pierce. "When you've lost so many games in a row and the lead goes to 13, 15, it's hard to have confidence."