
Andrei Kirilenko has 3rd career triple-double to lead Jazz over Lakers Andrei Kirilenko had his third career triple-double and Deron Williams scored a career-high 35 points to help the Utah Jazz overcome injuries to two starters and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 120-96 on Friday night. Kirilenko finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, along with six steals and four blocks. Williams had more turnovers than assists, but was 14-for-24 from the floor and the Jazz won without leading scorer Carlos Boozer (ankle) and center Mehmet Okur (back spasms). Kyrylo Fesenko added six points and seven rebounds in his NBA debut -- just hours after he was called up from Utah's D-League affiliate in Orem. Kobe Bryant had 28 points to lead the lackluster Lakers, who were flat one night after beating Denver 126-99 in Los Angeles. Williams overcame that almost by himself and left the passing to Kirilenko, the lanky forward who was back to his everywhere-on-the-court self. Kirilenko achieved the triple-double with an offensive rebound that led to Ronnie Brewer's dunk, putting Utah up 111-90 with 5:23 left. The only remaining suspense was whether he would reach double figures in any other category. Paul Millsap added 20 points and nine rebounds, and Brewer scored 14 for Utah. Lakers guard Derek Fisher finished with three points and two assists in his return to Utah, where he played last season but asked over the summer to be released from his contract because of his 1-year-old daughter's cancer treatments in New York. Jazz fans felt slighted when Fisher signed with the Lakers and he was booed often Friday, sometimes even louder than Bryant. Jordan Farmar scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half for the Lakers, who had no answer for the shorthanded Jazz in the first half. Utah was 29-for-50 from the floor in the first two periods and led 70-51 at halftime. The Lakers used a 10-0 run in the third quarter to pull to 87-70, but Williams ended the drought for Utah with a three-point play, drawing Bryant's fourth foul and putting the Jazz back up by 20 with the free throw. Fesenko, the 7-foot-1 Ukrainian picked up by the Jazz in a draft-day trade, was a fan favorite by the end of the night. In his first game, he posted up Chris Mihm, then made a turnaround bank shot for his first NBA points. He added a dunk at the end of the first quarter off a pass from Kirilenko and had to leave briefly in the second half after Mihm's elbow caught him in the eye and drew blood. Fesenko got another loud ovation when he returned -- with a puffy right eye -- in the fourth quarter. Game notes Lakers-Jazz Preview By MIKE VOTTA, STATS Senior Writer Already off to a strong start this season, Utah's Carlos Boozer is having a particularly strong week so far. Boozer will try to build on an impressive three-game stretch when the Jazz host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Boozer is averaging 30.7 points in Utah's three games this week, beginning with a season-best 36-point effort in Sunday's 103-93 win in Detroit, and has shot 75 percent over that span. He scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter in Wednesday's 106-95 win in Philadelphia despite tweaking his right ankle before halftime. "I think he's definitely an MVP candidate," said teammate Deron Williams, who had 15 points and 15 assists against the 76ers. "A lot of games he has put us on his back. He does everything well, and he's tough." Boozer leads the Northwest Division-leading Jazz (11-5) with a career-best 25.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and has recorded a double-double in all but four of his 16 games. He managed only seven rebounds on his balky ankle Wednesday, but still managed to lead his team to the win. "We're executing our offense," Boozer said. "Deron Williams is doing a great job of running the offense and getting us good shots on pick-and-rolls." Ronnie Brewer added 19 points for the Jazz, who wrapped up a 2-1 road trip. Utah is returning home, where it has won six straight after dropping its home opener 106-95 against Houston on Nov. 1. The home game is one of just four in a 16-game stretch before Christmas. "Were a very confident team," Williams said. "When we execute, well get a lot of assists and convert easy baskets." Utah has lost its last three games against the Lakers (9-6), including a 119-109 defeat on Nov. 4 in the first meeting this season. Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 36 points in that game. The Lakers are coming off Thursday's 127-99 win over Denver. The victory came hours after coach Phil Jackson said he agreed to terms of a two-year contract extension believed to be worth about $24 million, putting him under contract through the 2009-10 season. The Hall of Fame coach has won nine championships, including three with the Lakers, tying him for the most all-time with former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach. "I've had tremendous successes and ultimately some great highs in this game, but the ultimate thing is about this team coming back into prominence in this game," Jackson said. "We want this team to get back that consistency of a team that wan win on a consistent basis." Bryant, who ranks second in the league with 27.6 points per game, had 24 on Thursday but didn't play in the fourth quarter - even though the Lakers only had a six-point lead after three - because of the strong play of Los Angeles' bench. The reserves outscored Denver's bench 63-29. Sasha Vujacic scored 19 of his career-high 22 points in the fourth, and Luke Walton chipped in a season-best 14. "The young fellas came in and took care of business,'' said Bryant, who had scored 31 and 35 points in his previous two games. "We have young players who have a lot of heart and who care. And when you have that combination, you have a lot of potential." The Lakers have split six road games this season, and have lost five of their last seven games in Salt Lake City. Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited |
GAME NOTES SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS The Lakers lead their current season series with the Jazz 1-0 after winning last season’s series with Utah 2-1. The Jazz and Lakers have now met 140 times in the regular season (89-51), 122 times since the Jazz moved to Utah (76-46). The Lakers have gone 6-4 in their last 10 overall games with the Jazz and are winners of their last three straight versus Utah. In Utah, the Lakers are 4-6 in their last 10 road games but won their most recent game at EnergySolutions Arena 102-94 2/26/07 behind 35 points from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers are 13-3 all-time against the Jazz at STAPLES Center (8-2 in their last 10 home games). Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 19-9 against Utah. In the first game of the Lakers current three-game win streak against the Jazz back on November 30, 2006, the Lakers scored a series record 132 points, improving upon the old mark of 131 points achieved at Utah on December 4, 1986. Additionally in that game, Kobe Bryant established a new series-high with 52 points against the Jazz, surpassing his own record of 43 points (3/22/05) while also bettering Adrian Dantley’s Jazz mark of 50 established in November of 1979. Bryant’s 30-point third quarter tied his own franchise record and is tied for the fourth-highest scoring quarter in NBA history. In 37 games against the Jazz (29 starts), Bryant is averaging 25.8 points. Bryant is currently 45 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career against the Jazz and is averaging 36.8 points against Utah over his last four games. Additionally, Lakers guard Derek Fisher played last season for Utah, appearing in all 82 games, starting 61 and averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 assists in 27.9 minutes.
SURVEY SAYS …
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THREAT |
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