Lakers can’t seem to break the Trail Blazers’ spell

Reporting from Portland, Ore. — 

They seemingly have the Lakers under their spell, casting it up here in this city, in this arena, with this Portland Trail Blazers team.

They have maintained a steely focus against the Lakers in the Rose Garden, playing with an energy and effort that the Trail Blazers have used to overwhelm their foes from Southern California.

Nine times the Lakers have come up to Rip City in search of a victory and all nine times the Lakers have been sent home with a loss.

Portland’s 107-98 victory over the Lakers before a sellout crowd of 20,629 on Friday night extended the Trail Blazers’ winning streak to nine consecutive games in Portland.

“We’ve certainly been able to rise to the occasion,” Portland Coach Nate McMillan said. “And our fans, they are fired up right from the start. When you’ve got that crowd like that and you know you’re playing the Lakers, the guys come ready.”

Portland’s nine victories in a row over the Lakers are tied for its longest current home winning streak.

It’s the Lakers’ longest active road losing streak against any opponent.

The Trail Blazers have now defeated the Lakers in the Rose Garden 15 of 17 meetings, 22 of the last 26.

The question is why?

“We’ve been able to defend,” McMillan said. “We’ve been able to be sharp at the right time and be able to execute our plan defensively as well as offensively. In those games that I can remember, we’ve played well as a team. And we’ve beaten them, which is what you’ve got to do. You’re not going to get lucky against the Lakers. You’re going to have to be playing at your best.”

Portland won because their All-Star guard, Brandon Roy, outplayed his counterpart, Kobe Bryant.

Roy had 32 points on nine-for-11 shooting, and was 13 for 14 on free throws. He also had six assists and five rebounds.

Jerryd Bayless came off the bench to contribute 21 points and Andre Miller, who had gotten into a shouting match with McMillan during Thursday’s practice, had 17 points and seven assists.

“Kobe is an unbelievable defender,” McMillan said. “We needed that 32 points tonight [from Roy]. It was in the flow of the game. But he also allowed Bayless and Miller and the rest of the guys . . . and trusted them to contribute to the game tonight. So I just thought he played a solid floor game tonight.”

The Trail Blazers were fully aware of the streak.

It had been written about. It had been talked about.

“That was for me tonight motivation for our guys that they [the Lakers] know about it, especially with them dropping a game to the Clippers and coming here to end the streak,” McMillan said. “They were going to be ready to go. So we needed to be ready.”

Martell Webster had the primary job of trying to defend Bryant.

At 6 feet 7 and 235 pounds, Webster has the size and strength to deal with Bryant down low and the quickness to make him work on the outside.

Bryant had 32 points, but he was only 14 for 37 from the field.

“We did it collectively and as a unit,” Webster said. “You can’t really stop somebody like that. You just kind of hope to contain him, have him shoot over a contested hand, and he did a lot of that tonight. We forced him to shoot a lot more shots than he had points. That’s always a good thing.”

Nothing pointed to the Trail Blazers’ continuing the streak before the game.

They were without centers Greg Oden (fractured left kneecap) and Joel Przybilla (ruptured right knee), guards Steve Blake (pneumonia) and Rudy Fernandez (back), and forwards Nicolas Batum (shoulder) and Travis Outlaw (fractured foot).

And then there was the Miller-McMillan incident.

Something seems to be behind the streak, some kind of spell the Trail Blazers seem to hold over the Lakers.

When asked why they have defeated the Lakers up here so much, Roy smiled and rubbed his head.

Then he searched for an answer.

“I wish I knew exactly what it was so that we can keep it,” Roy said, smiling, knowing that the Lakers come back up here again Feb. 6.

“But we’re just coming out playing with a lot of effort, playing with a lot of energy. It just seems like when we’re playing these guys, everybody in this locker room steps up. Guys come out and play great basketball. It’s just one of those games that not only am I excited about it, but the rest of these guys are real excited about it.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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