Lakers Gameday | 02/11/09 | Jazz 113, Lakers 109
 Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Standing : 1 Streak: Lost 1 |
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 Utah Jazz
Western Conference Standing : 8 Streak: Won 1 |
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---Francisco Gomez, Lakers.com
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Williams leads Jazz past Lakers 113-109
SALT LAKE CITY(AP) Deron Williams had 31 points and 11 assists and the Utah Jazz snapped the Los Angeles Lakers' seven-game winning streak with a 113-109 victory Wednesday night. Mehmet Okur scored 22 points, CJ Miles had 17 and Ronnie Brewer added 16 to give the injury-plagued Jazz their fourth win in the last five games. Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds, but the Lakers allowed the Jazz to shoot a season-high 58.6 percent. The Jazz didn't score from the field and made 2-for-8 from the line in a nearly four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a last gasp. Odom and Bryant combined for 10 points and Bryant's 3-pointer gave the Lakers their first lead of the fourth quarter, 105-104, at the 1:36 mark. Sandwiched around Bryant's steal and layup, Paul Millsap made a three-point play for Utah and Okur hit a three-pointer to put Utah up, 110-107. Williams made 3-of-6 free throws in the last 25 seconds while Derek Fisher missed two 3-point attempts and Bryant misfired once to clinch the Jazz win. The Lakers closed the gap to 91-90, but Brewer sparked the Jazz with a series of scintillating plays. His reverse dunk started a 10-2 run that featured a steal, a block and another dunk over Bryant to give Utah a 101-92 lead with 5:59 to play. But Brewer missed four consecutive foul shots to open the door for L.A. Williams has averaged 31 points in his last five games and is showing that he is finally healthy after missing 13 of Utah's first 15 games with a sprained ankle and later suffering from swelling in the knee. He made 12-of-17 shots and his 11th assist was a Okur's 3-pointer with 42.8 seconds left. After Williams drove the lane for a basket in the third quarter, Bryant switched to guard the Utah point guard. But Williams promptly drove past him for a layup and a foul. On the next possession, Williams got Bryant going backward and then hit a pull-up jumper. Utah led 80-73 with 2:55 left in the period. The Jazz often double-teamed Bryant and eliminated any easy drives to the basket. Gambling to leave his teammates open on the perimeter paid off for Utah as Los Angeles went 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. The last time the Lakers played in Salt Lake City they beat the Jazz in Game 6 of the 2008 Western Conference semifinals to win that physical series, 4-2, and this game turned very chippy as well. Neither team led by more than nine points and the Lakers, though they boast best road record (18-6) in the NBA, seemed tired at times in playing seventh away from home in eight games. The Jazz shot 62.5 percent over the first two periods and still trailed 63-61 at the half as the Lakers outrebounded Utah, 22-13. Notes: Bryant got a technical foul from official John Goble midway through the third quarter. Bryant felt he was fouled while shooting an air ball under heavy pressure. ... Jazz G Brevin Knight missed his second game with a left quadriceps contusion but the Jazz may get Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) and Carlos Boozer (knee) back in action after the All-Star break.
Copyright 2008 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
Lakers - Jazz Preview
Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are proving they are strong enough to overcome a potentially devastating injury to one of their key players. The Utah Jazz, meanwhile, have struggled to withstand all the injuries that have plagued them this season. In their final game before the All-Star game, Bryant looks to lead the NBA-leading Lakers to a season-high eighth straight victory Wednesday when they visit the Jazz. Los Angeles (42-9) was able to avoid major injury over the first three months of the season, but its luck changed last week when emerging star center Andrew Bynum was lost for eight to 12 weeks to a knee injury. The Lakers' high-powered offense hasn't skipped a beat since Bynum's injury. The Lakers defeated Oklahoma City 105-98 on Tuesday for their seventh straight win -- five of which have come without Bynum. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom have both stepped up their play since Bynum's injury, but Bryant has carried the team. On Tuesday, the reigning league MVP showed no lingering effects from the flu that slowed him in Sunday's 101-91 win over Cleveland, as Bryant -- 30 years, 171 days old -- finished with 34 points to become the youngest player to reach 23,000. Wilt Chamberlain was formerly the youngest at 30 years, 176 days. "It's always fun whenever you talk about the history of the game," Bryant said. "It's always a tremendous honor." The 11-time All-Star is averaging 35.2 points in the five games since Bynum's injury, while the Lakers are averaging 114.9 points during their winning streak -- 6.3 better than their league-leading season average. Bryant had 40 points and seven rebounds in the Lakers' 113-100 win over the Jazz (29-23) on Jan. 2, their first meeting since last season's playoffs. Los Angeles, which defeated Utah in six games in last season's Western Conference semifinals, has also taken six of the last seven regular-season meetings. While the Lakers are clearly title contenders, injuries could keep Utah out of the playoffs for the first time in three years. Stars Carlos Boozer (left knee) and Andrei Kirilenko (right ankle) have each missed significant playing time, causing the two-time defending Northwest Division champion Jazz to fall to ninth place in the West. Boozer and Kirilenko are both expected to return shortly after the All-Star break. Utah, which has only five fewer losses than it registered all of last season, lost 116-96 at Golden State on Sunday. "We need to finish out the first half of the season strong," forward Paul Millsap said "Hopefully we can get this win on Wednesday versus the Lakers, get a little bit of momentum going into the All-Star break, come back at full strength, and try to make a run at this thing." Deron Williams has helped pick up the slack with Boozer and Kirilenko sidelined. The fourth-year point guard, who missed 13 of Utah's first 15 games with a sprained left ankle, had 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Sunday's loss, and is averaging 33.5 points, 7.8 assists, and shooting 57.5 percent in his last four games. Williams struggled with his shot in the loss to the Lakers last month, missing 14 of 18 attempts from the field, but managed to finish with 10 points and 12 assists.
GAME NOTES
NOTES & CONNECTIONS The Lakers lead the 3-game season series with Utah 1-0 after winning each of the previous two season series with the Jazz. The Jazz and Lakers have now met 144 times in the regular season (92-52) and 126 times since the Jazz moved to Utah (79- 47). The Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 overall games with the Jazz. In Utah, the Lakers are 3-3 in their last six road games and have gone 4-6 in their last 10 games overall at EnergySolutions Arena. The Lakers are 15-3 all-time against the Jazz at STAPLES Center. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 22-10 against Utah. In 2006, the Lakers scored a series record 132 points in a 132-102 victory over the Jazz 11/30/06 at STAPLES Center, 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 3rd quarter tied his own franchise record and is tied for the 4th-highest scoring quarter in NBA history. In 41 games against the Jazz (33 starts), Bryant is averaging 26.4 points. In their meeting on 12/28/07 Bryant scored his 1,000th career point against the Jazz and is averaging 34.1 points (273) against Utah over the last three seasons (8 games including ‘08-09). Additionally, Lakers guard Derek Fisher played the 2006-07 season for Utah, appearing in all 82 games, starting 61 and averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 assists in 27.9 minutes. The Lakers and Jazz met in last year’s Western Conference Semifinals with Los Angeles defeating Utah in six games (4-2).
LAKERS SCOUTING REPORT
The ability to stay focused for the last test before a vacation is what separates the good students from the bad. As we prepare for our last game before the All-Star break there are a bunch of excuses. It’s on the road…It’s the second night of a back-to-back…Post road trip hangover…Waaaa Waaaa Waaaa. Either we will bring the correct mental and physical energy required to win in Salt Lake City or we will suffer a big defeat. The team we are facing is a familiar foe so there shouldn’t be any surprises in terms of what we will see once the ball is tossed up.
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