Lakers-Jazz: LA Defense Shaky in Win

Fortunately for the Lakers, Mehmet Okur did not play for the Utah Jazz. If he had and was able to spread out the court, the Lakers may not be 2-0 in their opening round series against the Jazz.

As it was, Okur did not play, and the Lakers prevailed 119-109.

Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer kept the Jazz in the game. Williams had a game-high 35 points, going 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. He also had nine assists. Boozer had 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. He was the only player with a double-double.

Once again, the Lakers blew a large lead and found themselves in a real battle. They held a 15-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game. Instead of adding to the lead, the Lakers let the Jazz back in the game and saw their margin dwindle to just three points.

In the first half, the Lakers let the Jazz cut a 20-point lead down to 11 at halftime, 66-55. Part of the problem was turnovers—the Lakers had 21. The other problem, according to Phil Jackson, was his substitution pattern. Jackson utilized 10 players and nine of them were on the court for 10 minutes or longer.

Instead of lengthening his bench, Jackson hinted that he might shorten it. Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown had the most minutes with 28 and 16 respectively. Jordan Farmar played only four minutes and had two points. Sasha Vujacic played 15 minutes but did not score. Both Farmar and Vujacic may not get on the court up in Utah.

Lamar Odom had the most minutes (28) and the most points(19) off the bench. But it was Shannon Brown who had the best point advantage. Brown was +9 while Odom was +6.

Kobe Bryant was the leading scorer for the Lakers with 26 points and nine assists. Pau Gasol had 22 points and six rebounds. Trevor Ariza had 13 points and was 3-for-3 beyond the arc, hitting a key three-pointer at the end of the first half and again in the closing minutes of the game. Ariza also matched Bryant with nine assists.

The next game is Thursday night in Salt Lake City, where the Jazz are dominant. With an excited crowd completely behind the Jazz and with the possibility of Okur returning to the Utah lineup, the Lakers will have their hands full trying to take No.3.

When asked about playing in Utah, Bryant said, "It’s just noise…it’s just noise."