After a long five-day rest, the Lakers were back on the hardwood to face the Utah Jazz in the second round series.
The Lakers answered the question of what’s better, you know, the Rest vs. Rust argument. It really depends on the team and the individuals in my book, but the Lakers showed no rust this Sunday afternoon.
The Lakers took the early lead in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant came out aggressive and scored 15 of the team’s 25 first quarter points.
The soon-to-be named league MVP Kobe Bryant finished the game with 38 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
Andrei Kirilenko made his presence felt for the Jazz with his three first quarter blocked shots.
The Lakers started the second quarter on a 9-2 run. The second unit made an immediate impact with Sasha Vujacic nicknamed “the Machine”, checking in with nine points.
Rony Turiaf contributed three blocked shots battling inside. The Jazz were off key committing 11 first half turnovers that the Lakers converted into 12 points.
The Lakers outscored the Jazz 29-17, and at the 3:30 mark, they held a 54-41 lead. Kobe Bryant ended the first half with 24 points.
Starting the third quarter, the Utah Jazz’s poor shooting continued as the Utah backcourt of Deron Williams & Ronnie Brewer were a combined three-for-13 shooting. The Lakers’ lead grew to as many as 19 points before the Jazz started chipping away.
In the first half, the Lakers played solid defense and did a wonderful job of covering up shooters and staying in the passing lanes.
The Utah Jazz did an excellent job of rebounding this afternoon and literally owned the glass. The Jazz finished the game with 58 total rebounds, which included 30 offensive rebounds.
Mehmet Okur finished the game with 21 points and 19 rebounds. Utah was able to cut down on their turnovers, run their offense to perfection, and continued to chip away at the Lakers’ lead.
The Jazz outscored the Lakers, 31-25, in the third quarter. The Jazz went on a 15-3 run to end the third quarter. The score was 79-72.
The Lakers’ lead was cut to four 91-87 at the 4:31 mark of the third quarter. Cutting the lead to four was the closest the Jazz would come today.
The Lakers had a big lead in the first half and relaxed. Then the Jazz fought back and did a good job of erasing most of that lead in the third quarter.
The Lakers got caught up in playing at the Jazz’s tempo and suffered from not boxing out and getting themselves in good rebounding position.
Both teams were being physical and throwing each other to the ground, but at times, that is playoff basketball.
The Lakers will have to play better defense and make the adjustments to that style of play to remain successful.
They’ll also have to take a good look at how the Utah Jazz attack the offensive glass and do a better job of holding the Jazz to one shot and acquiring the rebound.
A fitting end to this contest was a pick-and-roll play with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bryant drew the attention of the defenders and then threaded the needle on a sweet pass to Pau Gasol, which led to a 98-90 lead.
Pau Gasol scored eight points in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots.
Derek Fisher didn't have his best game against his former team. His stat line of five points, three rebounds, six assists, and six steals shows that the savvy veteran contributed.
The Lakers’ bench was outscored by the Jazz bench 26-22. The Lakers take game one 109-98.
Game two will be at 7:30 p.m. PST on Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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5 months ago
Great Read, Jeff! Once again, our rebounding was poor and it remains our sole drawback at a serious championship contention. Nonetheless, Fisher and the rest of the Lakers crew played terrific defense. Watch out for home court Utah, they can be dangerous!
from 5 months ago
Thanks for the comments and the feedback, Umer. You bring up some valid concerns that I know for a fact the coaching staff will drill into them. The Lakers had a week off and need to adjust to the Jazz style of play. The fact of the matter was that the Jazz killed the Lakers on the boards and still lost by 11 points. This will be a tough series but I still see the Lakers winning this series in 6 games. This is exactly what the Lakers need is to play against a rugged team like the Utah Jazz. The Lakers have now beat them 4 of the 5 times they've played them this year.
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