Next Up, the Big Showdown

In the Portland prelude, the Lakers rumbled through all the proper notes and touched on all the right chord changes.

The rhythm was good, the conductor was reasonably pleased, and there were frequent fabulous solos.

The Houston Rockets? They were part of the background in the Lakers’ easy 101-85 victory on Sunday--their 11th in a row--before 18,997 at Staples Center.

The real show comes Tuesday night, on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, tied with the Lakers atop the Pacific Division, Western Conference and NBA overall standings (at 45-11), and tangled up in everything and every goal the Lakers have this season.

In Portland, the Laker journey either begins, or begins to end.

And if they’re going to beat the deep, defensive-minded Trail Blazers and jump ahead in the race, this is the way they are going to have to play.

“We’re in a groove right now,” said Kobe Bryant, who got the Lakers going with 18 points in the first quarter, and finished with a game-high 31 points and six assists.

“We’re in a rhythm. So we’re going up [to Portland] with that groove that we have now. It was important that we had a game like we had today, it was good for our momentum, for our confidence.”

Will the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers?

“I think so,” Bryant said.

Though the Laker players tried to keep things in perspective--this game was as important as Tuesday’s, which is as important as the next 24 after that--it was clear that they badly wanted to keep the good vibrations reverberating for the journey north.

On Sunday, that was accomplished mostly through the explosive first quarter, which closed with the Lakers ahead, 30-13. The Rockets, who beat the Lakers the last two meetings, never seriously threatened after that.

That didn’t mean the Laker coach was 100% happy, however.

“I went to church this morning at the First AME Church downtown here [on a campaign swing with Ernestine Bradley, wife of the presidential candidate],” said Coach Phil Jackson, “and they had a lot more spirit there than we had today on this court.

“That was an energetic first quarter, and then we kind of fell into a lull like we did last Friday night [against Boston]. I thought that we never got that punch back again that we had in our first-quarter start.”

But, with Bryant and the Laker defense taking apart the same Houston pick-and-roll offense that ruined the Lakers on Jan. 30, there was hardly a need to exert tremendous effort.

As it was, the Lakers continued their recent trend of sharp passing, racking up 26 assists--after getting a season-high 35 on Friday. Their 26 assists led to a 53.7% shooting performance (41 for 77).

O’Neal scored 24 points, and had 13 rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots, and Bryant made 13 of his 18 field-goal tries.

“He played very well,” O’Neal said of Bryant. “He threw up a lot of shots, and he hit most of them. On any given night, any one of our top three can go out and play that type of basketball . . .

“I think we’re just a little bit more focused. We had a little bit of slippage there after the first [16-game winning] streak and we just wanted to get back on track.

“We just wanted to stay sharp.”

Said Bryant of the team-wide passing mood: “It’s very contagious. And that’s been one of the strengths we’ve had in this streak we have, our selflessness--everybody getting everybody involved, making the extra pass.”

Over the Lakers’ last six games, Bryant and O’Neal have combined to average more than 10 assists a game, raising the Laker shooting percentages and spirits all around.

“Not only for Kobe, but for Glen [Rice] and Robert [Horry], things have just been flowing,” said guard Derek Fisher. “You’ve got guys shooting it well, that opens it up.

“Shaq continues to put up numbers, but he hasn’t absolutely dominated like he was, as far as shooting 60-plus percent . . . I don’t think Shaq really has to score 30 points every night in order for us win . . .

“When he’s got five or six assists, that’s hard to guard, you know?”

Said Jackson: “We’re real happy with the win. And we’re happy to be able to carry the energy of this momentum into Portland, and get after them there.”