The two towers approach delivered a single, familiar result.
Another
Gasol and
Also in the predictable file:
Nash, though, actually came back in the third quarter and had 10 points and 10 assists in 22 minutes. So not everything was miserable for the Lakers.
And
Beyond that, there wasn't much for the Lakers except the latest experiment gone awry.
Gasol made only four of nine shots, Kaman was even less accurate (six for 16) and the duo combined for only 10 rebounds in 57 minutes.
Gasol lobbied to play next to Kaman before the game, hoping to re-create some of the success they had together in the exhibition season.
"It probably makes sense," Lakers Coach
It might not be tried again. It simply didn't work.
Then again, it was Gasol's first action after missing four games because of vertigo. He scored nine points with four rebounds in 28 minutes.
"Definitely, definitely got to do better. We weren't very productive out there together," said Gasol, who experienced lingering effects of his illness while making turns on the court and said he might have come back too soon.
Said Kaman: "I didn't think it went that well. I didn't feel comfortable. I don't think Pau felt comfortable. I think all of it just felt off. It wasn't what I thought it would be."
In the ripple-effect category,
Portland had the better two towers, one of them 6-3 point guard
Kaman, by the way, showed a different side.
In a departure from his recent anti-D'Antoni rhetoric, he stepped back Tuesday from his persistent needling of the coach's refusal to play him.
"For as much heat as he takes, I don't think he has had a fair shot at it either, with all the injuries," Kaman said. "He's not trying to hurt anybody. He's not purposefully doing anything negatively. I think he's just trying to do the best he can with what we've got."
It was a metaphor for the season. Even the usually combative Kaman was taking the path of least resistance.
Eight more games remaining. Mercifully.
Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan
Times correspondent Eric Pincus contributed to this report.
