Stoudamire's clutch 3s help Blazers stop Lakers Dec. 14, 2003 SportsLine.com wire reports Players Of The Game Kobe Bryant Pts-35 Rebs-5 Ast-6 Damon Stoudamire Pts-25 Rebs-5 Ast-8 PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damon Stoudamire hit two 3-pointers in the final minutes and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the Los Angeles Lakers their second loss in two nights with a 112-108 victory Saturday night. Stoudamire finished with 25 points and eight assists for the Trail Blazers, who returned home to snap a three-game losing streak. After Kobe Bryant's layup evened it at 99, Rasheed Wallace hit a pair of free throws to put the Blazers ahead, and Zach Randolph hit an 8-foot jumper to make it 103-99. Shaquille O'Neal's layup narrowed it for the Lakers, but Stoudamire's 3-pointer put the Blazers ahead 106-101 with 2:08 left. Stoudamire hit another one to put the Blazers up 109-104 but a pair of foul shots kept the Lakers in it until Wallace's jumper bounced several times before falling to make it 111-106 and Portland held on for the final margin. Wallace, who stirred controversy with a contentious interview earlier in the week, had 28 points and seven rebounds to help Portland improve to 11-4 at home. The night before, the Lakers fell to the Dallas Mavericks 110-93, their first loss at home in 13 games this season. The loss to Dallas snapped a 10-game overall winning streak. Bryant led the Lakers with 35 points, and O'Neal had 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Blazers, who led by as many as 10, jumped out to an early 13-6 lead on Randolph's layup. Los Angeles narrowed it to 19-18 on Karl Malone's jumper, but Portland responded with Wallace's 3-pointer and Dale Davis' dunk. After the Blazers took a 47-37 lead on Stoudamire's 3-pointer, the Lakers went on a 12-2 run to even it at 49, and the teams were even at 54 at halftime. Bryant, who did not even take a shot in the first quarter, scored 11 points in the second. The Lakers went up 70-67 on O'Neal's consecutive dunks, and led by as many as five points - but the Blazers kept it close and the two teams went on to trade the lead nine times in the third quarter. Randolph had 24 points and 11 rebounds for Portland. Wallace received a number of boos from the home fans when he was introduced before the game. Wallace charged in an interview earlier in the week that the NBA's white establishment is exploiting young black athletes to enrich itself. He also used objectionable language. There was widespread criticism of the comments, including a statement from NBA commissioner David Stern. Wallace issued an apology before the game, saying he regretted using the objectionable language but stood by his right to express his opinions. Notes: The two teams split their four-game series last season, with both teams winning at home. The teams have split their last six regular-season series. ... Free agent outfielder Gary Sheffield was among the fans at the game. ... Friday night's loss also snapped the Lakers' streak of 27 regular-season victories at Staples Center. ... Gary Payton, ejected the night before for two first-quarter technicals against Dallas, had 14 points. ... It was the Lakers' sixth straight loss at the Rose Garden.
