GAME THREAD: NBA: LA LAKERS (9-6) at UTAH (11-5)

Discussion in 'Utah Jazz' started by SportsTicker, Nov 30, 2007.

  1. SportsTicker

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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
    --- --- --- --- -----
    LA LAKERS 22 29 31 14 96
    UTAH 30 40 32 18 120 FINAL

    HIGH SCORERS: LAL - KOBE BRYANT 28, JORDAN FARMAR 21, RONNY
    TURIAF 12
    UTH - DERON WILLIAMS 35, ANDREI KIRILENKO 20,
    PAUL MILLSAP 20</div>
     
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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
    NBA
    LA LAKERS 96
    UTAH 120 FINAL</div>
     
  3. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    Re: NBA: LA LAKERS (9-6) at UTAH (11-5)

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KobeTheLegend)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

    Ive got an idea! Lamar for AK47 straight up!</p>

    Yeah right I know. Seriously though, we should see if they would take him for that white guy that played his first NBA game tonight.</p>

    </div></p>

    I wonder if that rumor was true earlier in the summer when AK47 asked to be traded. I know there was a rumor Odom for AK47, but I forget which team backed out. Also the Marion for Odom rumor.</p>

    The Lakers won't get much back for Odom now, but I don't think he makes a difference. The team plays better or just as good without him so getting a gamer back for Odom would be an upgrade.</p>

    I think Odom is destined to become a New York Knick.</p>

    </p>
     
  4. SportsTicker

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    By Chris Bellamy
    PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


    SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) - Half of one of the NBA's mostexplosive duos was watching from the Utah bench Friday night.The other half took over, as the Carlos Boozer-less Jazz toppedthe visiting Los Angeles Lakers in a shocking 120-96 rout.

    With both his top scorer and All-Star center Mehmet Okur out ofcommission with nagging injuries, rising star point guard DeronWilliams took on the offensive load himself, scoring acareer-high 35 points and spearheading an explosive Jazz offensethat found more than enough scoring options to keep Kobe Bryantand the Lakers at bay.


    The re-energized Andrei Kirilenko filled up the stat sheet ashe's been doing all season, making plays all over the floor andfinishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, six steals<div class="pre">and four blocks his first triple-double in nearly two years</div>and four steals shy of a quadruple-double.


    On a typical night for the Jazz, Williams would be repeatedlyfeeding the ball inside, handing his opponent a healthy dose ofBoozer in the paint. But Friday night, it was Williamsexploiting the Lakers' interior defense, repeatedly drivingthrough the lane and finishing with athletic lay-ins and scoopshots as the Jazz built their lead as high as 28 in the thirdquarter.


    Williams wasn't connecting from the perimeter early on, butfound plenty of space in the middle. In the second quarter inparticular, the Lakers were in a state of perpetual deja vu.Kirilenko found a slashing Williams underneath for a layup topush the Utah lead into double digits early in the second.

    On the following two possessions, Williams drove the lane both<div class="pre">times first burying another easy bucket and then finding</div>Kirilenko on the wing for a long 3-pointer.


    But apparently the Lakers' defense hadn't learned its lesson.Time and again, Williams beat his defenders off the dribble and<div class="pre">finished underneath the basket and when he was getting a</div>little more resistance, he just muscled his way through. In the<div class="pre">second quarter alone, he scored 15 points all in the paint,</div>including his second three-point play of the night.

    When the Lakers began surging back in the third thanks to JordanFarmar's hot hand, it was Williams that put the brakes on,forcing his way inside for another soft runner off the glass,plus a foul shot, to put the Jazz up, 90-70.


    Prior to that basket, Los Angeles had cut a 28-point deficit tojust 17. A suddenly lackadaisical Jazz offense that turned theball over just three times the entire first half got sloppy,committing six turnovers in the third period alone. In fact,<div class="pre">that was the one hiccup in Williams' performance he was</div>careless with the ball at times.


    But with a lead that never got lower than 15 the entire secondhalf, the impact was negligible. Bryant - who torched the Jazzfor 52 points exactly one year ago in a 132-102 victory last<div class="pre">November 30 got hot in fits and starts but never took over,</div>finishing with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting.


    Boozer, suffering from a sprained right ankle, is third in theNBA in scoring at 25.4 points per game. But the Jazz didn'tmiss his scoring Friday, as Paul Millsap started in his placeand added 20 points and eight boards.


    In Okur's absence, Jazz rookie Kyrylo Fesenko saw his firstregular-season NBA action after just getting called back fromthe NBA's developmental league. He was a solid presence on theglass, snagging seven boards to go along with six points.

    Both Boozer and Okur were game-time decisions and are expectedback shortly.


    For the Lakers, Farmar scored 13 of his 21 points in the third,while Ronny Turiaf added 12 points off the bench.
     
  5. J_Ray

    J_Ray JBB JustBBall Member

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    Re: NBA: LA LAKERS (9-6) at UTAH (11-5)

    Fesenko made his debut tonight one to remember for sure, couple of easy hoops, some boards, and a few stitches too. If he can keep progressing like he has done so far this year, he's going to be a good Jazzman for awhile. Deron and AK were the story for Utah today, they came out ready to lead the team and they just took over. The team fed off of their energy, then the crowd got into the game to help the cause. Deron just couldn't be kept out of the paint and AK was all over the place, making me wonder how much did the Denver game take out of them yesterday. Fisher couldn't stay in front of Deron, isn't there anyone off the bench that would of been quicker to at least slow down Deron maybe? Anyways, Utah just played out of their mind tonight, and played 45 minutes of flawless basketball, then the subs looked pretty good in garbage time too </p>
     
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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">LA LAKERS (96)

    fg ft rb
    min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
    D Fisher 20:22 1-8 0-0 0-0 2 1 3
    K Bryant 34:43 10-19 5-6 1-4 3 4 28
    R Turiaf 24:41 4-7 4-5 1-3 3 1 12
    L Odom 28:58 3-5 1-2 2-4 1 2 7
    A Bynum 26:12 2-5 4-5 2-10 2 2 8
    J Farmar 26:12 8-13 2-2 0-3 3 1 21
    L Walton 20:06 3-7 0-0 2-3 6 2 6
    S Vujacic 19:06 1-6 2-2 0-1 0 2 4
    V Radmanovic 19:02 2-4 0-0 0-3 0 3 5
    C Mihm 9:39 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 1 0
    J Crittenton 7:22 0-2 0-0 1-2 0 2 0
    T Ariza 3:37 0-1 2-2 0-0 0 0 2

    ______________________________________________________
    TOTALS 240:00 34-77 20-24 9-34 21 21 96
    ______________________________________________________

    Percentages: FG-.442, FT-.833. 3-Point Goals:
    8-24, .333 (D Fisher 1-5, K Bryant 3-5, L
    Odom 0-1, J Farmar 3-7, L Walton 0-1, S
    Vujacic 0-3, V Radmanovic 1-2). Team
    Rebounds: 6. Blocked Shots:6 (R Turiaf 2, A
    Bynum 2, L Odom, J Farmar). Turnovers:20 (L
    Odom 4, J Farmar 4, R Turiaf 3, K Bryant 2, L
    Walton 2, J Crittenton 2, C Mihm, A Bynum, S
    Vujacic). Steals: 7 (D Fisher 2, V Radmanovic
    2, L Walton, J Farmar, J Crittenton).


    UTAH (120)

    fg ft rb
    min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
    D Williams 39:43 14-24 5-5 0-2 3 3 35
    R Brewer 32:06 5-13 4-7 1-2 6 2 14
    P Millsap 35:53 10-14 0-2 2-9 0 4 20
    A Kirilenko 40:39 5-14 9-10 7-11 11 3 20
    J Collins 27:55 1-4 0-0 1-6 3 3 2
    K Fesenko 17:02 3-5 0-0 4-7 1 4 6
    M Harpring 14:36 4-4 4-6 4-8 1 2 12
    J Hart 14:02 2-6 0-0 0-0 0 0 5
    C Miles 8:48 1-3 2-2 0-2 0 1 4
    G Giricek 4:24 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 2
    R Price 2:56 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
    M Almond 1:56 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0

    ______________________________________________________
    TOTALS 240:00 46-90 24-32 19-48 26 23 120
    ______________________________________________________

    Percentages: FG-.511, FT-.750. 3-Point Goals:
    4-10, .400 (D Williams 2-3, R Brewer 0-1, A
    Kirilenko 1-3, J Hart 1-2, M Almond 0-1).
    Team Rebounds: 11. Blocked Shots:4 (A
    Kirilenko 4). Turnovers:13 (D Williams 9, K
    Fesenko 2, M Harpring, J Hart). Steals: 14 (A
    Kirilenko 6, J Hart 2, R Brewer 2, C Miles 2,
    D Williams, P Millsap).

    -------------------------------------------
    LA LAKERS 22 29 31 14 - 96
    UTAH 30 40 32 18 - 120
    -------------------------------------------

    Technical fouls: La Lakers - 1 (L Walton,
    1:01 3rd).
    Flagrant fouls: None. A: N/A. T: 1:04.
    Officials: Ken Mauer, Scott Wall, Zach Zarba.</div>
     
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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">LA LAKERS (96) AT UTAH (120)

    LA LAKERS

    REBOUNDS
    PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
    ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

    D FISHER G 20:22 1-8 0-0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 3
    K BRYANT G 34:43 10-19 5-6 1 3 4 3 4 0 2 28
    R TURIAF 24:41 4-7 4-5 1 2 3 3 1 0 3 12
    L ODOM F 28:58 3-5 1-2 2 2 4 1 2 0 4 7
    A BYNUM C 26:12 2-5 4-5 2 8 10 2 2 0 1 8
    J FARMAR 26:12 8-13 2-2 0 3 3 3 1 1 4 21
    L WALTON 20:06 3-7 0-0 2 1 3 6 2 1 2 6
    S VUJACIC 19:06 1-6 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 4
    V RADMANOVIC F 19:02 2-4 0-0 0 3 3 0 3 2 0 5
    C MIHM 9:39 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
    J CRITTENTON 7:22 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 0
    T ARIZA 3:37 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

    TOTALS 240:00 34-77 20-24 9 25 34 21 21 7 20 96
    (.442) (.833) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 20 (0 PTS)

    UTAH

    REBOUNDS
    PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
    ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

    D WILLIAMS G 39:43 14-24 5-5 0 2 2 3 3 1 9 35
    R BREWER G 32:06 5-13 4-7 1 1 2 6 2 2 0 14
    P MILLSAP F 35:53 10-14 0-2 2 7 9 0 4 1 0 20
    A KIRILENKO F 40:39 5-14 9-10 7 4 11 11 3 6 0 20
    J COLLINS C 27:55 1-4 0-0 1 5 6 3 3 0 0 2
    K FESENKO 17:02 3-5 0-0 4 3 7 1 4 0 2 6
    M HARPRING 14:36 4-4 4-6 4 4 8 1 2 0 1 12
    J HART 14:02 2-6 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5
    C MILES 8:48 1-3 2-2 0 2 2 0 1 2 0 4
    G GIRICEK 4:24 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
    R PRICE 2:56 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    M ALMOND 1:56 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

    TOTALS 240:00 46-90 24-32 19 29 48 26 23 14 13 120
    (.511) (.750) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 14 (0 PTS)

    LA LAKERS 22 29 31 14 - 96
    UTAH 30 40 32 18 - 120

    BLOCKED SHOTS: LA LAKERS - R TURIAF 2, A BYNUM 2, L ODOM, J FARMAR.
    UTAH - A KIRILENKO 4.
    3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA LAKERS 8-24 (.333), D FISHER 1-5, K BRYANT 3-
    5, L ODOM 0-1, J FARMAR 3-7, L WALTON 0-1, S VUJACIC 0-3, V RADMANOVIC 1-
    2. UTAH 4-10 (.400), D WILLIAMS 2-3, R BREWER 0-1, A KIRILENKO 1-3,
    J HART 1-2, M ALMOND 0-1.
    TECHNICAL FOULS: LA LAKERS - L WALTON.
    FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE.
    OFFICIALS: KEN MAUER, SCOTT WALL, ZACH ZARBA.
    A - N/A. T - 1:04.</div>
     
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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">LA LAKERS (96) AT UTAH (120)

    LA LAKERS

    REBOUNDS
    PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
    ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

    D FISHER G 20:22 1-8 0-0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 3
    K BRYANT G 34:43 10-19 5-6 1 3 4 3 4 0 2 28
    R TURIAF 24:41 4-7 4-5 1 2 3 3 1 0 3 12
    L ODOM F 28:58 3-5 1-2 2 2 4 1 2 0 4 7
    A BYNUM C 26:12 2-5 4-5 2 8 10 2 2 0 1 8
    J FARMAR 26:12 8-13 2-2 0 3 3 3 1 1 4 21
    L WALTON 20:06 3-7 0-0 2 1 3 6 2 1 2 6
    S VUJACIC 19:06 1-6 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 4
    V RADMANOVIC F 19:02 2-4 0-0 0 3 3 0 3 2 0 5
    C MIHM 9:39 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
    J CRITTENTON 7:22 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 0
    T ARIZA 3:37 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

    TOTALS 240:00 34-77 20-24 9 25 34 21 21 7 20 96
    (.442) (.833) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 20 (28 PTS)

    UTAH

    REBOUNDS
    PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
    ====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

    D WILLIAMS G 39:43 14-24 5-5 0 2 2 3 3 1 9 35
    R BREWER G 32:06 5-13 4-7 1 1 2 6 2 2 0 14
    P MILLSAP F 35:53 10-14 0-2 2 7 9 0 4 1 0 20
    A KIRILENKO F 40:39 5-14 9-10 7 4 11 11 3 6 0 20
    J COLLINS C 27:55 1-4 0-0 1 5 6 3 3 0 0 2
    K FESENKO 17:02 3-5 0-0 4 3 7 1 4 0 2 6
    M HARPRING 14:36 4-4 4-6 4 4 8 1 2 0 1 12
    J HART 14:02 2-6 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5
    C MILES 8:48 1-3 2-2 0 2 2 0 1 2 0 4
    G GIRICEK 4:24 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
    R PRICE 2:56 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    M ALMOND 1:56 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

    TOTALS 240:00 46-90 24-32 19 29 48 26 23 14 13 120
    (.511) (.750) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 14 (13 PTS)

    LA LAKERS 22 29 31 14 - 96
    UTAH 30 40 32 18 - 120

    BLOCKED SHOTS: LA LAKERS - R TURIAF 2, A BYNUM 2, L ODOM, J FARMAR.
    UTAH - A KIRILENKO 4.
    3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA LAKERS 8-24 (.333), D FISHER 1-5, K BRYANT 3-
    5, L ODOM 0-1, J FARMAR 3-7, L WALTON 0-1, S VUJACIC 0-3, V RADMANOVIC 1-
    2. UTAH 4-10 (.400), D WILLIAMS 2-3, R BREWER 0-1, A KIRILENKO 1-3,
    J HART 1-2, M ALMOND 0-1.
    TECHNICAL FOULS: LA LAKERS - L WALTON.
    FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE.
    OFFICIALS: KEN MAUER, SCOTT WALL, ZACH ZARBA.
    A - 19,911. T - 2:28.</div>
     
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    NBA: LA LAKERS at UTAH

    <div class="pre">LA LAKERS (96)

    fg ft rb
    min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
    D Fisher 20:22 1-8 0-0 0-0 2 1 3
    K Bryant 34:43 10-19 5-6 1-4 3 4 28
    R Turiaf 24:41 4-7 4-5 1-3 3 1 12
    L Odom 28:58 3-5 1-2 2-4 1 2 7
    A Bynum 26:12 2-5 4-5 2-10 2 2 8
    J Farmar 26:12 8-13 2-2 0-3 3 1 21
    L Walton 20:06 3-7 0-0 2-3 6 2 6
    S Vujacic 19:06 1-6 2-2 0-1 0 2 4
    V Radmanovic 19:02 2-4 0-0 0-3 0 3 5
    C Mihm 9:39 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 1 0
    J Crittenton 7:22 0-2 0-0 1-2 0 2 0
    T Ariza 3:37 0-1 2-2 0-0 0 0 2

    ______________________________________________________
    TOTALS 240:00 34-77 20-24 9-34 21 21 96
    ______________________________________________________

    Percentages: FG-.442, FT-.833. 3-Point Goals:
    8-24, .333 (D Fisher 1-5, K Bryant 3-5, L
    Odom 0-1, J Farmar 3-7, L Walton 0-1, S
    Vujacic 0-3, V Radmanovic 1-2). Team
    Rebounds: 6. Blocked Shots:6 (R Turiaf 2, A
    Bynum 2, L Odom, J Farmar). Turnovers:20 (L
    Odom 4, J Farmar 4, R Turiaf 3, K Bryant 2, L
    Walton 2, J Crittenton 2, C Mihm, A Bynum, S
    Vujacic). Steals: 7 (D Fisher 2, V Radmanovic
    2, L Walton, J Farmar, J Crittenton).


    UTAH (120)

    fg ft rb
    min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
    D Williams 39:43 14-24 5-5 0-2 3 3 35
    R Brewer 32:06 5-13 4-7 1-2 6 2 14
    P Millsap 35:53 10-14 0-2 2-9 0 4 20
    A Kirilenko 40:39 5-14 9-10 7-11 11 3 20
    J Collins 27:55 1-4 0-0 1-6 3 3 2
    K Fesenko 17:02 3-5 0-0 4-7 1 4 6
    M Harpring 14:36 4-4 4-6 4-8 1 2 12
    J Hart 14:02 2-6 0-0 0-0 0 0 5
    C Miles 8:48 1-3 2-2 0-2 0 1 4
    G Giricek 4:24 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 2
    R Price 2:56 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
    M Almond 1:56 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0

    ______________________________________________________
    TOTALS 240:00 46-90 24-32 19-48 26 23 120
    ______________________________________________________

    Percentages: FG-.511, FT-.750. 3-Point Goals:
    4-10, .400 (D Williams 2-3, R Brewer 0-1, A
    Kirilenko 1-3, J Hart 1-2, M Almond 0-1).
    Team Rebounds: 11. Blocked Shots:4 (A
    Kirilenko 4). Turnovers:13 (D Williams 9, K
    Fesenko 2, M Harpring, J Hart). Steals: 14 (A
    Kirilenko 6, J Hart 2, R Brewer 2, C Miles 2,
    D Williams, P Millsap).

    -------------------------------------------
    LA LAKERS 22 29 31 14 - 96
    UTAH 30 40 32 18 - 120
    -------------------------------------------

    Technical fouls: La Lakers - 1 (L Walton,
    1:02 3rd).
    Flagrant fouls: None. A: 19,911. T: 2:28.
    Officials: Ken Mauer, Scott Wall, Zach Zarba.</div>
     
  10. SportsTicker

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    By Chris Bellamy
    PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


    SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) - Half of one of the NBA's most explosiveduos was watching from the Utah bench Friday night. The other halftook over, as the Carlos Boozer-less Jazz topped the visiting LosAngeles Lakers in a shocking 120-96 rout.


    With both his top scorer and All-Star center Mehmet Okur out ofcommission with nagging injuries, rising star point guard DeronWilliams took on the offensive load himself, scoring acareer-high 35 points and spearheading an explosive Jazz offensethat found more than enough scoring options to keep Kobe Bryantand the Lakers at bay.


    "I tried to score a lot tonight. ... We needed it tonight,"Williams said. "I told Boozer I was gonna go for 40. I had tomake up for him and Memo. I just tried to be aggressive."

    The re-energized Andrei Kirilenko filled up the stat sheet ashe's been doing all season, making plays all over the floor andfinishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, six stealsand four blocks - his first triple-double in 17 months and foursteals shy of a quadruple-double.


    "Andrei Kirilenko was sensational," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said."You can go down the line of guys who played well. ... Itlooked like we were playing basketball and having fun. Andreiwas huge in all of that."


    Kirilenko had come within spitting distance of a triple-doubleon five separate occasions already this season, but finallyaccomplished the feat, his first since March 25, 2006 againstthe Sacramento Kings. He was also just one block short ofanother 5 X 5 performance (at least five in all the positivecategories), which would have been the fourth of his career.

    "When the whole team is cheering for you, it's tough not to doit," Kirilenko said of his triple-double. "A few games ago, whenI was one assist (away), I couldn't make it, the whole team wasmaking jokes with me. I think tonight we really did a greatjob sharing the ball, being unselfish. Everybody did theirjob."


    On a typical night for the Jazz, Williams would be repeatedlyfeeding the ball inside, handing his opponent a healthy dose ofBoozer in the paint. But with the Jazz shorthanded Fridaynight, it was Williams exploiting the Lakers' interior defense,repeatedly driving through the lane and finishing with athleticlay-ins and scoop shots as the Jazz built their lead as high as28 in the third quarter.


    "I think it gave us a different look. I think it gave us a kindof lack of familiarity with how we were going to be able toplay against this team," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "All ofa sudden without those two guys out there, I think it took us astep back a little bit."


    Williams wasn't connecting from the perimeter early on, butfound plenty of space in the middle.


    "I saw the lanes open up a little bit off pick-and-rolls, offsome curls, and I was able to get on top of the basket, get acouple fouls and got confidence off that," Williams said.

    In the second quarter in particular, the Lakers were in a stateof perpetual deja vu. Kirilenko found a slashing Williamsunderneath for a layup to push the Utah lead into double digitsearly in the second.


    On the following two possessions, Williams drove the lane bothtimes - first burying another easy bucket and then findingKirilenko on the wing for a long 3-pointer.


    But apparently the Lakers' defense hadn't learned its lesson.Time and again, Williams beat his defenders off the dribble andfinished underneath the basket and when he was getting a littlemore resistance, he just muscled his way through. In the second<div class="pre">quarter alone, he scored 15 points all in the paint, including</div>his second three-point play of the night.


    "They have such a great system, they play hard every time,"Bryant said. "They were able to execute what they needed to do.They got great production from their bench and from their bigs.They beat us up pretty good."


    When the Lakers began surging back in the third thanks to JordanFarmar's hot hand, it was Williams that put the brakes on,forcing his way inside for another soft runner off the glass,plus a foul shot, to put the Jazz up, 90-70.


    Prior to that basket, Los Angeles had cut a 28-point deficit tojust 17. A suddenly lackadaisical Jazz offense that turned theball over just three times the entire first half got sloppy,committing six turnovers in the third period alone. In fact,<div class="pre">that was the one hiccup in Williams' performance he was</div>careless with the ball at times.


    But with a lead that never got lower than 15 the entire second<div class="pre">half, the impact was negligible. Bryant who torched the Jazz</div>for 52 points exactly one year ago in a 132-102 victory lastNovember 30, never took over, finishing with 28 points on10-of-19 shooting.


    "There was plenty of time to recover, but we were really slow,ineffective," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "One of my coachessaid we were as soft as Dairy Queen ice cream tonight."

    Boozer, suffering from a sprained right ankle, is third in theNBA in scoring at 25.4 points per game. But the Jazz didn'tmiss his scoring Friday, as Paul Millsap started in his placeand added 20 points and nine boards.


    In Okur's absence, Jazz rookie Kyrylo Fesenko saw his firstregular-season NBA action after just getting called back fromthe NBA's developmental league. He was a solid presence on theglass, snagging seven boards to go along with six points.

    "What I think you'll find a lot of times, when key guys or starplayers are out, all of a sudden the ball's moving more, morepeople are touching the ball, other guys are involved thatnormally wouldn't be as much," Fisher said. "You find out thatthere are a lot of guys that can play on a team."


    Both Boozer and Okur were game-time decisions and are expectedback shortly.


    For the Lakers, Farmar scored 13 of his 21 points in the third,while Ronny Turiaf added 12 points off the bench.
     

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