Jazz-Lakers Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 08 2012 11:43PM

Still trying to adjust to a new coach and life without three key members of the rotation, the Los Angeles Lakers are focused on taking one small step at a time.

The Lakers will try to begin working their way back to the .500 mark Sunday night when they host the Utah Jazz, who could be without two impact frontcourt players of their own.

Los Angeles (9-11) fell to 4-6 under coach Mike D'Antoni with a 114-108 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday night.

Steve Nash isn't expected back until at least next week and Steve Blake is out at least six weeks with a torn abdominal muscle, leaving third-stringer Chris Duhon as the starting point guard.

Making matters worse, All-Star forward Pau Gasol has averaged just 10.1 points on 38.8 percent shooting since D'Antoni took over and could miss his fourth straight game because of tendinitis in both knees.

The Lakers, however, still have Kobe Bryant, the NBA's scoring leader at 28.4 per game. Bryant finished with 35 as Los Angeles cut a 19-point deficit down to four in the final minute Friday.

Dwight Howard added 23 points and 18 rebounds and even improved at the free-throw line, where he's shooting a league-low 47.7 percent. He shot 5 for 7 against the Thunder after making 12 of 24 in his two previous contests.

"It's not like we're going to get together and start winning right away," Howard said. "We're learning how to play together. We're getting better. This is not on anybody's time table but ours."

While it hasn't translated into many wins, Los Angeles has at least been better offensively lately, averaging 108.2 points in its last five games after scoring 96.4 in its previous five.

That could continue against a Utah team that has lost nine of 12 on the road, where it is allowing 108.2 points per game.

The Jazz (11-10) closed a three-game homestand with a 131-99 rout of Toronto on Friday. It was only the sixth time since the 1997-98 season that Utah scored 130 points or more in regulation.

After going 1 for 10 from 3-point range in a win over Orlando on Wednesday, the Jazz came back to hit 13 of 23 from long range - the sixth-highest total in team history.

Marvin Williams, Randy Foye and DeMarre Carroll each made three 3-pointers. Foye ranks among the NBA leaders with 51 3-pointers this season.

As one of the best fast-break teams (15.9 points per game) in the Western Conference, Utah might be best served pushing tempo after Los Angeles was outscored 26-8 in that area on Friday.

The Jazz outscored the visiting Lakers 15-7 on the break in a 95-89 victory on Nov. 7 - the last game for coach Mike Brown before he was fired by Los Angeles.

While Bryant paced the Lakers with 29 points, Foye scored 17 - including five 3-pointers - and Al Jefferson had 18 and 10 rebounds as the Jazz won their third in a row over Los Angeles.

"We've just got to play Utah Jazz basketball and not worry about what the Lakers are doing and I think we'll have a great chance," Foye said.

Utah, however, might be without leading scorer Jefferson (back spasms) and reserve forward Derrick Favors (plantar fasciitis) again. Both are considered game-time decisions after missing Friday's contest.

Jazz beat Lakers 117-110 for 3rd straight victory

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Dec 10 2012 1:18AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Lakers still aren't getting it together under new coach Mike D'Antoni, and the Utah Jazz exposed them again.

Paul Millsap scored 24 points and Mo Williams added 22 in Utah's third straight victory, 117-110 on Sunday night.

"They did it to themselves," Millsap said of the 9-12 Lakers. "Our defense was pretty good, but they had no ball movement and that made it easier on us just to try to load up, keep them out of the paint and let them fire up some 3s."

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 points, making 12 of 14 free throws, as they fell to 4-7 in their last 11 games since D'Antoni took over from the fired Mike Brown.

"I just don't think we've had a gut-check moment yet. At some point we're going to draw a line in the sand and that's it, you have to fight," D'Antoni said. "It seems like things happen on the court that get us down. Are there possessions we just throw away? Yeah. We have too many guys who will take a possession off."

Al Jefferson and reserves Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter added 14 points each for the Jazz, who improved to 4-9 on the road in ending a two-game skid away from home.

"The way we've been struggling on the road, it felt good to come in here and get a big win," Jefferson said. "They're the kind of team that tries to pick up the tempo on offense and not run back on the defensive end, so we tried to pick up our speed and make them run a little bit."

The Lakers never led in the second half while losing their second in a row. They trailed by three to start the fourth quarter only to get outscored 20-8 and fall behind by 15. Hayward had seven points and Kanter six in Utah's spurt.

Bryant, who shot 9 of 24 while playing 43 minutes, engineered one last charge. He had seven points in a 17-7 run that got the Lakers to 115-110 with 1:10 to play. But he missed two 3-pointers in the final 33 seconds.

"I'm glad he did because that would have hurt," Jefferson said about Bryant's errant shots.

Jordan Hill added a career-high 17 points and Jodie Meeks 16 off the Lakers' bench.

The Jazz owned a 54-34 edge in the paint and outscored the Lakers 19-4 on fast breaks.

"That's the second game in a row now we've given up too many fast break points," Bryant said. "Our half-court defense is OK, just giving up too many transition points."

Bryant took over in the third with 14 points as the Lakers outscored the Jazz 34-28. He made four straight free throws to leave the Lakers trailing 88-85 going into the fourth.

Dwight Howard's dunk had the Lakers down by one, but the Jazz responded again with another scoring burst to extend their lead. Williams had four of their nine points before Bryant's free throw binge. Howard finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

"We're too good of a team to let everything slip away," Howard said, his voice hoarse from a cold. "We're going to get better. It's going to click. We can't let anyone from outside break our bond. We have to stay patient."

Los Angeles closed within one midway through the second quarter. The Jazz responded with a 14-3 run, including 11 in a row, to go up 55-43. DeMarre Carroll scored six points, including a fastbreak reverse layup and a dunk made possible when Hayward found the streaking Carroll on the break.

The Lakers made a little run of their own, led by seven straight points from Hill and a free throw by Bryant to end the half trailing 60-51 despite shooting 36 percent.

The Jazz scored the game's first eight points while the Lakers were missing their first four shots and turning the ball over three times. Bryant got them on the board with a 3-pointer and another basket and it was left to him to score the Lakers' last basket that put them ahead 27-25.

NOTES: The Jazz improved to 2-0 over LA this season. ... Bryant's milestone of scoring his 30,000th point on Wednesday in New Orleans was announced before tipoff. ... Jazz C Al Jefferson started in place of Kanter. ... The Lakers open a four-game trip on Tuesday in Cleveland.

Notebook: Jazz 117, Lakers 110

Dan Arritt, For NBA.com
Posted Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:13 AM - Updated Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:13 AM

THE FACTS: If the offense for the Lakers was expected to resemble a Ferrari once Mike D'Antoni took over as coach four weeks ago, then the Jazz have morphed into a jet airplane. Two nights after scoring 131 points in a win against the Raptors, Utah unleashed another offensive bonanza Sunday night against the Lakers, getting double-digit points from six players in a 117-110 victory at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "The guys have been doing a great job of just coming back and learning every night and getting better every night we step out there on the floor."

--Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin

THE STAT: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant continues to lead the league in scoring, and he put up another 34 points against the Jazz (12-10), but that hasn't translated into victories. The Lakers (9-12) are 1-9 when Bryant scores 30 points or more, and 8-3 in the remaining games.

TURNING POINT: The Lakers trailed by three after Jodie Meeks sank a 3-pointer with 10:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. But Gordon Hayward answered with a 3-pointer on Utah's next possession, sparking a 7-0 run in which the Lakers missed three field-goal attempts and committed three turnovers. The lead swelled to 15 with 5:35 remaining before the Lakers made a late push to get within five with possession of the ball. However, Bryant missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining and the Lakers let 19 seconds run off the shot clock before intentionally fouling Mo Williams. He made both free throws to push the lead back to seven.

HOT: Utah center Enes Kanter made his first career start in the 32-point victory Friday night against the Raptors, and the second-year player went out and matched his career high with 18 points. With veteran Al Jefferson back in the starting lineup after sitting out Friday's win with back spasms, Kanter was relegated back to reserve duty. His confidence seemed to carry over, however, as he finished with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including six in the decisive fourth quarter.

NOT: Even before Pau Gasol went down with tendinitis in his knees earlier in the week, Antawn Jamison was set to take over as the starting power forward for the Lakers. Now it's Jamison who looks to be on the verge of losing his starting role. He was replaced midway through the first quarter by Jordan Hill and did not start the second half, ultimately finishing with three points on 1-for-6 shooting. Hill, meanwhile, scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. With Gasol close to returning, it will be interesting who D'Antoni pencils into the starting lineup come Tuesday in Cleveland.

GOOD MOVE: While the Lakers kept Bryant on the floor for the entire second half and Dwight Howard for all but 77 seconds, the Jazz were able to rest their starters for the first half of the fourth quarter. Utah's Corbin waited until 6:43 remained in the quarter before reinserting Williams, Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Their fresh legs helped stamp out the final surge by the Lakers.

BAD MOVE: Lakers small forward Metta World Peace spent Saturday night in Las Vegas at the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight and his lack of energy was evident, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. World Peace did not record a rebound or a steal in 22 minutes and was eventually pulled from the game with 6:44 remaining, not long after he airballed a 3-pointer.

QUOTABLE II: "We have too many guys that will take a possession off."

-- Mike D'Antoni.

NOTABLE: Lakers starting point guard Chris Duhon finished with 12 points and a season-high 11 assists. ... The Jazz had a 19-4 advantage on fastbreak points and a 54-34 edge in points in the paint. ... Utah reserve forward Derrick Favors missed his fifth consecutive game with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Tuesday @ Cleveland, Thursday @ New York, Friday @ Washington. For the Jazz, Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Friday @ Phoenix, Saturday vs. Memphis.

• Jazz: Bell, Murphy
• Lakers: Blake, Johnson-Odom, Nash

• Jazz: --
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #6 Tony Brown, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:13