Lakers feeling less pain

A day later, Pau Gasol felt fine.

Good enough to practice, anyway.

Gasol went through a full workout with the Lakers the morning after collecting 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a 104-91 victory Wednesday night against Portland.

He played almost 32 minutes against the Trail Blazers after sitting out nine games because of a sprained left ankle.

“I think he looked great,” Kobe Bryant said. “He gave us a one-two punch. Everybody out here in L.A. knows you’ve got to have a one-two punch. That’s how you win championships. You don’t win it with one superstar alone.

“When ‘Drew [Bynum] comes back, we’ll have a left hook, left jab, right jab, right cross and then hit them with a left hook.”

Bynum will travel for a two-game trip beginning Sunday in Sacramento but was not expected to play until the last game or two of the regular season, General Manager Mitch Kupchak said earlier this week.

Bynum has missed 39 games since sustaining a briefly dislocated left kneecap and a bone bruise on his knee in a Jan. 13 game against Memphis.

The Lakers went 5-4 without Gasol and surrendered an average of 108.9 points in that time frame. They looked more active on defense against Portland with him back in the mix, although they played a short-handed team that was without injured All-Star guard Brandon Roy.

Gasol said Thursday there was still a little pain in his ankle, particularly during side-to-side movement.

“Hopefully, soon my ankle will allow me to move better laterally and with torquing and everything,” he said.

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Head-to-head games have rarely been so important to so many teams in April, but they have taken on added significance with six teams crowded together at the top of the Western Conference.

Head-to-head games are the first tiebreaker in determining playoff seedings.

The Lakers (51-24) own tiebreakers with Phoenix (50-25) and Utah (50-26) by virtue of 3-1 head-to-head records against them. The Lakers would lose a tiebreaker with Houston (49-25) because they went 1-2 against the Rockets.

Two more tiebreakers are undetermined for the Lakers.

They trail New Orleans (52-22) and San Antonio (52-23) in both season series, 2-1, although they play them each one more time at Staples Center toward the end of the regular season.

If two teams remain tied after head-to-head records, the tiebreaker goes to the team with the better record within the division if the teams are in the same division. If not, then it goes to the team with the better record within the conference.

If the teams are still tied, the tiebreaker becomes the better record against playoff teams within the conference; followed by the better record against playoff teams in the other conference; and, finally, if a tie is still not broken, whatever team has the better point differential in all games.

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The Lakers’ home game tonight against Dallas could be a first-round playoff preview.

The last time the Lakers played the Mavericks, Jason Kidd had one point and the Lakers took a 102-100 victory March 18 in Dallas.

Then Dirk Nowitzki went down a week later with a high ankle sprain, and the Mavericks’ playoff hopes appeared to be threatened.

But Nowitzki came back earlier than expected and scored 18 points in the Mavericks’ 111-86 victory Wednesday against Golden State. Kidd, who doesn’t always score a lot with the Mavericks, had five points, 17 assists and 11 rebounds against Golden State.

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TONIGHT

vs. Dallas, 7:30, FSN West, ESPN

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 570; 1330.

Records -- Lakers 51-24; Mavericks 47-28.

Record vs. Mavericks -- 2-1.

Update -- The Mavericks are 12-10 since acquiring Kidd and 1-10 with him against teams with winning records. Kidd is averaging 9.9 points, 9.8 assists and 6.4 rebounds in 22 games with Dallas.

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[email protected]

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LAKERS TONIGHT

vs. Dallas

at Staples Center

7:30, ESPN and FSNW