ONTARIO, Calif. -- When Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant finally emerged from the Los Angeles Lakers locker room late in the first quarter, they got a standing ovation just for walking to their seats. The Lakers fans shouldnt worry. Their big stars expect to be out of street clothes and back in uniform very soon -- and for much bigger games than an exhibition in the Inland Empire. Damian Lillard had 14 points and seven assists in his first NBA action, and the Portland Trail Blazers ran to a 93-75 victory over Los Angeles in a preseason game Wednesday night. The Lakers visited their avid fans an hour east of Los Angeles with just 60 per cent of their projected starting lineup in uniform. Bryant sat out to rest a strained right shoulder, and Howard isnt playing during his deliberate return from off-season back surgery -- although he was healthy enough to join in the "Kobe! Kobe!" chant that erupted in the first half. "I feel pretty good, but I keep telling you guys, I want to be 110 per cent," Howard said. "I have to make sure Im in great shape, and my conditioning is where it needs to be. Its a process, and well get there." Steve Nash scored 13 points and Metta World Peace added 12 as the Lakers lost their second straight preseason game by double digits. Pau Gasol had eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, but Portland surged to a 13-point lead in the third quarter while the Lakers three healthy starters were still playing. "Were finding out our strengths and how to combine them," Gasol said. "We have two main guys out, and they make a big difference, so well have to see how we play when were full force." Bryant said he tweaked his shoulder while dunking on Antawn Jamison in practice Tuesday, but it didnt start hurting until later that day. He wanted to play against Portland, but the team overruled him with six preseason games still left on its schedule. Howard has refused to say when he might make his Lakers debut, but the six-time All-Star is participating in every practice with no apparent limitations. Howard worked out on the Ontario court with Lakers assistant coaches Chuck Person and Darvin Ham about 30 minutes before the game, delighting hundreds of early arriving, camera-wielding fans who didnt get to see Bryant in action. Lakers coach Mike Brown has absolutely no interest in the Lakers preseason record, but World Peace and Gasol acknowledged they would prefer to start winning a few games. The players competing for jobs on Los Angeles bench again struggled to score consistently, but Brown saw no particular importance in it. "Weve probably only put in 35 or 40 per cent of (the offence) were going to put in," Brown said. "Its still going to take some time for these guys to understand." LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers in their preseason opener under new coach Terry Stotts. Lillard, the sixth overall pick in last Junes draft from Weber State, looked sharp in 24 minutes as Portlands point guard, adding five rebounds and two 3-pointers. "We still have a lot of work to do," Stotts said. "I thought Damian had a good first outing. He showed good signs, and the movement on our offence was pretty good. Defensively, we can get a lot better." Meyers Leonard, the 11th overall pick out of Illinois, had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. Nicolas Batum had 12 points in his first game since returning to Portland with a four-year deal worth more than $45 million when the Blazers matched an offer sheet from Minnesota after Batums agent said his client wanted to join the Timberwolves. Wholesale Jerseys USA . Now only David Ferrer in the Paris Masters final stands in the Poles way of his first major payday. Wholesale Jerseys Supply . Tens of thousands of people decked out in the teams holiday-appropriate orange and black stood 30 deep behind barriers, climbed trees, camped out overnight and mounted rooftops for a chance to see their favourite players wave from convertibles and get serenaded by Tony Bennett singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco. http://herownblog.com/wholesal... . Numbers Game breaks down the Canucks signing hometown boy Jason Garrison. The Canucks Get: D Jason Garrison. Garrison, 27, has played 190 career NHL games, but really came into his own this past season, scoring a career-high 16 goals, 33 points and a plus-6 rating while playing a career-high 23:42 per game. [url=http://herownblog.com/wholesale-jerseys-usa/]Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Given their record so far (2-9), Pierce wasnt making any bold predictions Thursday about the Bombers ability to get back in the playoff hunt. "We havent showed maturity in certain situations. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Konopka was fined for his verbal abuse directed at a New York Rangers player conducting a live television interview nearby during pregame warm-ups. The $2,500 fine is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.HOUSTON -- Calen Carr scored twice and the Dynamo defeated 10-man Sporting Kansas City 2-1 Wednesday night to extend Houstons unbeaten streak to five games. The win tied Houston (8-5-7, 31 points) with the Chicago Fire for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and ended Kansas Citys unbeaten streak at three games. Carr put Houston ahead 2-1 in the 79th minute after feeding a pass to Brad Davis outside the left box and hitting Davis cross inside the near post from inside the 6-yard box. Carr opened the scoring in the 25th minute after taking a pass from Will Bruin in the right box and hitting a right-footed shot inside the near post from eight yards out. Kei Kamara scored in the 42nd minute on a penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1, freezing Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall and hitting it inside the near postt.dddddddddddd The goal ended Houstons shutout streak at 356 minutes and was the first goal Houston had allowed in four games. Kansas City (11-6-3, 36 points) earned the penalty in the 41st minute after Houstons Andre Hainault pulled down Kansas Citys Jacob Peterson from behind in the box. Kansas City played at a man disadvantage for the entire second half after Peterson Joseph was given a red card by referee Mark Kadlecik after he tackled Carr from behind in first half stoppage. Houston nearly took a 2-1 lead in the 65th minute off Davis free kick when Kansas Citys Seth Sinovic headed the ball up and toward the goal, but Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen batted the ball off the crossbar. Sinovic left the game in the 79th minute with a sprained left ankle and was replaced by Chance Myers. ' ' '