Read about the Lakers vs. Jazz game as it unfolds. As always, feel free to refresh your browser for live updates throughout the game … On second thought, I guess they wouldn’t technically be “live” updates since you have to press refresh. But whatever.
Previous Lakers - Jazz Running Diary/Postgame
Lakers - Jazz Running Diary 1-2-2009
Lakers 113, Jazz 100: Postgame
Lakers - Jazz Running Diary 2-11-2009
Lakers 109, Jazz 113: Postgame
Inactives
Lakers: D.J. Mbenga, Sun Yue
Jazz: Mehmet Okur*
*Okur strained his hamstring in last night’s victory over the L.A. Clippers and did not play in the second half. Clearly, this makes L.A.’s Bynum-Gasol combination even more difficult to contend with.
Starters
Lakers Fish, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol and Bynum
Jazz Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer, Matt Harpring, Carlos Boozer and Jarron Collins
Pregame
Not going to lie, I’m saving some of the stuff we got from Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson in case L.A. plays Utah in the first round. I’ll say that Sloan’s primary focus is on winning this game, which he knows will be tough without Okur unless L.A. both limits its starters minutes considerably and if the team plays quite poorly.
First Quarter
11:24 Gasol found himself alone up the floor all alone for a dunk after Williams lost the ball near midcourt, and a dunk resulted. More accurately, Gasol sprinted quickly past everyone and earned the hoop.
8:39 Consecutive terrific plays gave the Lakers a 10-8 lead, the former being a Gasol baseline turnaround (swish) and the latter a Bynum swat of Williams in the lane that produced an Ariza dunk at the other end.
8:04 Gasol continued a strong start with another swish, boosting him to six points as Carlos Boozer had a lot of problems with Pau’s length. Of course, with Bynum back, Utah needs to put either Okur (if healthy) or Jarron Collins on him, leaving Boozer to contend with the seven footer. Clearly that’s not ideal.
6:25 Let’s keep going on L.A.’s size advantage: Fisher found Bynum in the paint for an alley-oop right over Collins and Brewer, a play reminiscent of January Andrew Bynum.
4:28 Any guesses for the first off the bench? A) Shannon Brown; B) Fatman Sr.; C) All of the above, they’re the same person. Yup, C. Alas, what we’re looking for here is how Brown does on D-Will.
3:22 Brown stayed right with Williams despite several pump fakes, but the Olympian still managed to hit a step back three. After a turnover at the offensive end for L.A., Brown sprinted back to swat a Boozer layup attempt, but Harpring was underneath for the putback. Utah’s run continued with a Collins layup that put the Jazz up 23-17. It was in that stretch that the Lakers’ seemed to struggle just a bit to match Utah’s energy. Remember, the Jazz are in desperation mode, where as the Lakers don’t have any real motivation.
1:01 What do NBA refs have against Lamar Odom? Odom, alongside Gasol, Brown, Walton and Vujacic, wasn’t given the call when getting hit on a drive (Gasol grabbed the rebound and drew a foul) but was then called for a foul of his own when Brevin Knight fell down. After Sunday’s game, Odom said he found it “100 percent funny” that he wasn’t getting much luck in that department, which is a more positive way to deal with it than many would have.
Back on the floor, Brown scored four straight points to close Utah’s lead to 27-25.
Second Quarter
11:21 Bynum converted a tough lil’ baby hook in the paint to open L.A.’s scoring in the quarter, and was at it again on the next possession in and-1 fashion, getting him to eight points with three boards in 10 minutes.
8:57 Despite Bynum’s good start, L.A.’s bench was outplayed to start the quarter; as a result, Utah opened a 38-32 lead heading into a timeout. We knew defensive intensity was going to be hard to muster, and the Jazz took advantage by making 57.1 percent of their shots.
8:11 Bryant picked up his third personal foul on a Kyle Korver jumper, which should put him on the bench for the rest of the half.
7:26 Bynum continued to be the only thing going for L.A. in the quarter, again scoring easily inside for his fifth field goal in nine attempts. In completely unrelated news, I’m pegging Adam to win American Idol this year. He’s just more talented than everyone else. Were Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins not calling this game on TNT, I may have swung over to Fox to check on my prediction, but we’ll have to wait for the DVR tonight.
6:11 Vujacic drained his second straight jumper, this one a three from the corner, to make it a 44-41 Jazz lead. His defensive pressure, along with that of Ariza, then caused a Collins traveling turnover to get the ball back for the purple and gold. The bench boost from Odom, Walton and Brown has been palpable of late, though in the playoffs, there’s sometimes nothing like pulling a great shooter off the pine. If Vujacic, who did that in the early rounds last year for L.A., can get in a nice rhythm, the Lakers become extremely difficult to compete with. It’s like adding Andy Bernard to the cast of “The Office.” If his jokes are firing - which they almost always are - you almost don’t know what to do with all the comedic weapons.
4:07 Having trailed all quarter, the Lakers took the lead on two Ariza free throws. Vujacic then hit another jumper, and here’s one thing you do have to like about Sasha if you’re Phil Jackson: After his shot, he sprinted straight back to make sure Korver didn’t get a good look at a three in transition.
2:56 STAPLES loves it some Shannon Brown, which was expressed after Fatman Sr. nailed a baseline J to cap a 13-4 run that put the Lakers up 51-48.
1:15 Utah averages 28 free throws a game on the year … But they just took their 29th shot from the line to take a 55-54 lead. The best way to explain all of L.A.’s personal fouls? Perhaps a touch of laziness on defense that’s seen guys get out of position and have to reach to recover.
Vujacic, however, stayed hot from the perimeter and nailed a jumper to give L.A. a one-point edge at the break.
Third Quarter
11:09 Fisher opened the second half scoring with a perimeter jumper, which has clearly been lacking of late. But Phil Jackson doesn’t seem concerned - nor does Fisher - and suggests that once he starts playing playoff minutes, the shots will fall.
9:00 Boozer missed a long jumper, signifying why some Jazz fans have lost patience with Carlos particularly with Millsap playing so well off the bench. Boozer’s style offensively does work in Utah’s pick and roll in part because Williams is so good, but can he get his own shot close to the basket? Probably not.
8:28 There’s another triple from Fisher to put L.A. up nine, of course a good sign heading into the playoffs. Even if it’s only a few shots, simply getting the feeling of watching the ball go through the net could really help Fish.
7:31 Harpring, frustrated after getting swatted by Gasol, immediately reached in for a hard foul. Hard fouls and Harpring go together like turkey sandwiches and salt and vinegar chips. I prefer to put the chips in my ‘wich, physically. Just me?
6:12 A Kobe triple could have put the Lakers up 12, but instead, Utah went on a 9-0 run highlighted by a nasty Williams dunk after he crashed through the paint. Tie game. A Bynum dunk, Utah offensive foul and some trash talking between Williams and a few Lakers ensued. Kevin Harlan: “Here come the playoffs.”
4:20 Another swipe at Bynum from Harpring, trying to spring the ball free. You get the feeling watching Harpring that he’d rather be playing football.
2:46 It was all D-Will in the third. Eight points and three assists in the period got him up to 17 and nine as he continued to push the tempo for his team. He’s of course concern No. 1 for the Lakers when they face the Jazz, but if he isn’t getting a great deal more help, Utah doesn’t have much of a chance.
1:21 Two Bryant free throws capped an eight point quarter for the MVP and put the Lakers up seven …
…0:50.0 And a big slam from a wide-open Bynum pushed the lead to 87-78.
0:24.4 The biggest cheer of the game, however, went to Brown after he nailed his second triple to get to nine points with three boards in 15 minutes. Williams managed two free throws to get to 21 points with 10 dimes, but the Lakers took an eight-point lead into the final quarter when Bryant hit 1-of-2 free throws.
The interesting thing about the quarter is that once the Jazz really started to pick up their effort, L.A. simply wasn’t going to have it. The Lakers seemed content enough in the first half, but weren’t interested in watching Utah run by them.
Fourth Quarter
12:00 Kiss Cam featured Daryl from “The Office,” which was fun. Just afterwards, Farmar nailed a three from the corner to put L.A. up 11. Each of L.A.’s point guards had hit a triple.
10:45 Utah’s second consecutive turnover resulted in L.A.’s second consecutive hoop, with Gasol catching a slick Bryant pass that may have been intended for an equally open Odom. Nonetheless, Gasol laid in as the lead swelled to 15 at 98-83.
10:02 Apparently, the Lakers decided that they weren’t interested in losing to the Jazz and allowing any kind of mental edge to be taken, as witnessed by Bryant’s swish of a momentum triple. You know the kind we’re talking about here … When Bryant senses the potential for a death blow and pulls up out of nowhere. Then on the next possession, Vujacic added a triple of his own to make it a 19-point lead. Looks like the Jazz will be back in a few days.
8:46 Kobe, feeling good, went over to say what up to Office Daryl. Fun.
5:40 An emphatic tomahawk from Odom kept the good times rolling for the Lakers as L.O. got to 16 points off the pine and pushed L.A.’s lead to 112-94.
4:00 The points kept coming for a Lakers team shooting 58 percent from the floor, as Vujacic hit again and Farmar converted a layup to make it 121-100. The bench had already accounted for 53 points.
1:52 Bynum’s one-handed dunk was a nice stamp on the game, and got him to 20 points with four boards, three dimes and three blocks in 29 minutes. He’d add two foul shots in the final minute to cap his evening.
We’ll see how much this story differs when L.A. faces the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs later this week, and have plenty of preview coverage for you on Lakers.com.
