Jazz-Lakers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 24 2013 4:02PM

With the season spiraling further out of control and their star center injured again, one of the last teams the Los Angeles Lakers likely want to face is the surging Utah Jazz.

The visiting Jazz can record their season-high fifth straight victory with a fifth consecutive win over the Lakers on Friday night.

Despite holding a team meeting prior to Wednesday morning's shootaround, Los Angeles' latest skid reached four games with a 106-93 loss at Memphis. Losers in 10 of 12, the star-studded Lakers (17-25) are 12th in the Western Conference and facing the possibility of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05.

"I do think they play as hard as they can play, and that's what's scary," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I mean I don't know how we can play harder or blame something else."

A frustrated Kobe Bryant scored 29 while Los Angeles shot 42.5 percent and trailed by as many 21.

"It's just disappointing to lose, period," said Bryant, who is among the NBA scoring leaders at 29.2 points per game. "We just have to go back to work and work a little harder."

While Bryant continues to do his part, Pau Gasol remains unhappy coming off the bench. However, he could start if Howard is unable to play after aggravating his sore shoulder before halftime.

"He just reinjured the shoulder a little bit, and right now he is out obviously," D'Antoni said after the Lakers were outrebounded 52-34 and outscored 60-34 in the paint. "But I don't know what that means day-to-day."

Howard had two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes after totaling 13 and 11 boards in the previous two games. That included Sunday's 108-103 loss at Toronto, where he was ejected late in the first half after receiving his second technical foul.

Regardless of who is on the floor, Los Angeles must play better defensively after allowing a Memphis team that failed to score more than 85 points in six straight contests to shoot 49.0 percent.

The Lakers are surrendering 101.5 points per game, their worst mark in six years.

"We make these teams look a lot better offensively than they really are," Gasol said. "That's something that's pretty negative. Pretty alarming."

Utah (23-19) shot 54.2 percent during a 117-110 win at Los Angeles on Dec. 9 to improve to 2-0 against the Lakers this season. The Jazz have averaged 102.8 points during a four-game winning streak versus Los Angeles - their longest in the series since sweeping the Lakers in the 1998 conference finals and then winning the first meeting the next season.

Paul Millsap, who has scored 24 each in the last two road games against the Lakers, had 16 with 15 rebounds to help Utah hold on for a 92-88 home win over Washington on Wednesday. Though the Wizards scored 21 points off 14 turnovers and cut a 22-point deficit to two, the Jazz prevailed for the eighth time in 10 games.

"It's a concern when we lose big leads, but we're winning the game so we're not going to go crazy about it," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "You'd like to learn a lesson not to relax when we're up. Turnovers and fast scores for the opponents is what's really concerning."

Bryant has totaled 63 points despite shooting 39.0 percent (16 of 41) versus Utah this season.

Lakers beat Jazz 102-84 to snap 4-game skid

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Jan 26 2013 2:15AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Airing things out among themselves had the desired effect for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Metta World Peace hit five 3-pointers on his way to scoring 17 points and the Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 102-84 on Friday night, snapping a four-game skid.

Coming off an 0-3 road trip during which players confronted each other last Wednesday in Memphis, the Lakers got balanced scoring and better team defense that helped them beat the Jazz for the first time in three meetings this season.

Kobe Bryant suggested "our closed-door meeting that everyone seems to know about" had something to do with the victory.

"It's a relief, especially against a team that's handled us pretty well," he said. "We made shots and that makes the game a lot easier. It's not about showing we've turned the corner. It's about doing it."

Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 14 points off the bench. Fellow reserve Gordon Hayward scored 13 and Al Jefferson had 12. Paul Millsap and Randy Foye added 10 points each. Utah had won six of its previous seven.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Steve Nash scored 15 and Pau Gasol added 15 points off the bench for the Lakers. Bryant had 14 points, a season-high 14 assists and nine rebounds in bringing Utah's four-game winning streak to an end.

"After the Memphis game, we put the past behind us," said Howard, who had vowed after the meeting that he would take a bigger defensive role. "We've got to sustain it for the rest of the season. We have to play together and play for each other."

Howard aggravated his right shoulder in the second quarter of the Lakers' loss at Memphis, the same injury that caused him to miss three games two weeks ago. But he showed no ill effects from the start, scoring six points in a 15-4 spurt that opened the game and gave the Lakers the lead for good.

"It feels pretty good," Howard said. "I did a lot of work before the game."

Bryant moved the ball, giving his teammates a chance to score and taking some pressure off Nash, who had two assists in nearly 30 minutes.

"I thought Kobe was brilliant," Nash said. "Setting the table for Dwight and getting the team going. Dwight was obviously finishing and a big presence defensively. Those are our two big guns and when they are symbiotic like that we are a special team. I know it's hard to sustain, but we looked like a real good squad."

The Lakers had lost 10 of their last 12 and remain seven games below .500.

"We're bonding together and we're communicating with each other very well," Bryant said, suggesting that last week's confrontation was healthy for the team. "You can't just sweep things under the rug all the time. They don't get better."

Utah cut its deficit to 78-69 early in the fourth before the Lakers began dominating the final 10 minutes. World Peace hit his fifth 3-pointer and Bryant scored four points during a 14-5 spurt that pushed Los Angeles' lead to 92-74. The Lakers were 9 of 21 from long range.

"I could tell they were the more desperate team," Hayward said. "We didn't bring it from the start and we kind of just dug ourselves a hole."

The Lakers led by 12 early in the third before Utah closed to 61-58, capped by Favors' alley-oop dunk off a pass from Earl Watson.

The Lakers fought back from 3-point range. Chris Duhon and World Peace combined for three 3-pointers and Jodie Meeks dunked to keep them ahead 72-63 going into the fourth. Gasol and Millsap got into it verbally and received double technicals as the quarter was ending.

"They got their hands on us and they got us out of our offense," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They were just more aggressive."

Utah closed to 47-37 at halftime.

The Lakers' 15-4 run to start the game was helped by World Peace and Nash combining for three 3-pointers. The Jazz quickly closed within two before the Lakers stretched their lead to 26-19.

NOTES: World Peace was one 3-pointer shy of equaling his career high set on Feb. 28, 2009, against Chicago. ... Bryant finished one assist shy of his career high set on Feb. 12, 2002, against Washington. ... Utah fell to 9-16 on the road.

Notebook: Lakers 102, Jazz 84

Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:32 AM - Updated Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:32 AM

THE FACTS: The Lakers turned the page again Friday night. The new chapter featuring Kobe Bryant as more of a facilitator than a scorer, Metta World Peace playing the part of a legitimate 3-point threat, rather than just a defensive stalwart, and Dwight Howard showing what he can do with the ball in his hands, versus just occupying space down low. The change in roles and attitude seemed to be just what the Lakers needed to end their four-game losing streak with a 102-84 victory against the visiting Jazz at Staples Center and possibly put a derailed season back on track.

QUOTABLE: "I just enjoy winning."
-- Kobe Bryant

THE STAT: Bryant matched his season-low with 14 points but distributed a season-high 14 assists, one short of his career high and the most since he had 14 in November 2010. He also recorded nine rebounds, leaving him one short of his 19th career triple-double.

QUOTABLE II: "I thought the energy was great, the sharing of the ball."
-- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni

TURNING POINT: The Jazz pulled within three points on a basket by Derrick Favors with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter, but Bryant took over the play-calling and assisted on four consecutive baskets to push the lead back to 72-63. The Lakers then scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and Utah never got back within nine in L.A.'s wire-to-wire victory.

HOT: World Peace was the biggest beneficiary of Bryant's unselfish play, taking 11 shots from 3-point range and converting a season-high five, one off his career high. He and Howard finished with a team-high 17 points, both taking more shots than Bryant. Howard also chipped in a team-leading 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.

NOT: Utah center Al Jefferson continued his career-long struggles against the Lakers. Jefferson came in averaging 15 points in 21 games against L.A. and shooting 42.6 percent from the field, his lowest percentage against any team in the NBA by nearly three points. Jefferson shot 5-for-14 against the Lakers and finished with 12 points, the third straight game he has scored below his season average.

GOOD MOVE: Lakers forward Pau Gasol has made it clear he'd prefer to start, but he looked as good as ever in his fifth consecutive game coming off the bench. He scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. He's averaging 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in the last five games. Better yet, bringing Gasol off the bench allows the Lakers to have either him, Howard or both on the floor at all times.

BAD MOVE: The Jazz had a chance to sweep the season series against the Lakers for the first time in franchise history and extend their winning streak against L.A. to five games overall, but they came out unmotivated, allowing the game's first seven points and not converting their first field goal until 8:19 remaining in the opening quarter. After just four minutes, Utah was already chasing a double-digit deficit.

QUOTABLE III: "We have to understand how we have to play against a team that's playing physical like they are and be ready to go again tomorrow night. It's going to be a tough one against Indiana."
-- Utah coach Tyrone Corbin

NOTABLE: For just the fourth time in his career, Bryant had more assists than field-goal attempts when playing at least 30 minutes. ... World Peace missed all five field-goal attempts that weren't 3-pointers. ... The Lakers shot the same percentage from 3-point range (53.8) that they did from the field.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Sunday vs. Oklahoma City, Tuesday vs. New Orleans, Wednesday @ Phoenix. For the Jazz, Saturday vs. Indiana, Monday vs. Houston, Wednesday vs. New Orleans.

• Jazz: Bell, Williams
• Lakers: Blake, Hill

• Jazz: Millsap
• Lakers: Gasol

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #47 Bennie Adams, #18 Matt Boland
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 1:58