It’s Saturday February 4, 2012 and the (14-9) Los Angeles Lakers are in the 45th state to join the union to battle the hobbled (12-9) Utah Jazz. Tonight’s back-to-back game in the beehive state will be a rough task because the Jazz have always been tough out at Energy Solutions Arena.The Lakers kept their composure, relied on their defense and survived a few late-game scares and the onslaught of the Nuggets potent bench to win a close, hard-fought game in Denver.
The Nuggets’ bench outscored the Lakers bench 46 – 21. However, the Lakers, led by all stars Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, opened their six-game Grammy road trip with a win.
Kobe’s shot was off, but Bryant still posted a 20-point, six-rebound, nine-assists and three-steals effort.
Number six on the all-time NBA scoring list, Bryant has scored 28,547 points in his Hall of Fame career. Bryant is averaging 29.5 points per game this season. At that rate he should surpass former Laker Shaquille O’Neal and move into the number five slot in his hometown of Philadelphia, the third stop of the Grammy trip.
Andrew Bynum was dominant, posting a solid 22-point, 10 rebound, three-blocked-shots effort and Pau Gasol posted a double-double as well. Gasol was also dominant on the boards, grabbing a season-high 17 rebounds. The Lakers had five players score in double digits and Andrew Goudelock was impressive, scoring 13 points off the bench.
Tonight’s match up against the depleted Jazz has ‘trap game’ written all over it. The Jazz are dealing with their starting backcourt and a key reserve guard out due to injuries. The Lakers have to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that the Jazz are a wounded opponent that they can easily defeat.
The Lakers lead the season series (2-0) after splitting last season’s 2-2. The split snapped four years worth of season series victories: 2006-07 (2-1), 2007-08 (3-1), 2008-09 (2-1) 2009-10 (3-1) for the purple and gold. The Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Jazz. The Lakers have won their last two games at Energy Solutions Arena and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 regular season games in Utah. The Jazz are on a two-game losing streak despite scoring over 100-points in each contest.
L.A. can acquire their second win of the Grammy trip by tightening the screws of their defense. The Lakers defense as a whole has been solid, but there is room for improvement. Despite starting two seven-footers, offensive rebounding seems to remain a problem.
The Lakers’ formula for success would be to communicate on defense, do a solid job defending the pick-and-roll play, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, control the tempo, get back in transition, box out their men and then acquire the rebound. They have to limit the Jazz to one shot per possession, win the battle for rebounds and quickly rotate out to open shooters.
Starters
Lakers: D. Fisher, K. Bryant, M. Peace, P.Gasol, A. Bynum
Jazz: J. Tinsley, G. Hayward, J. Howard, P. Millsap, A. Jefferson
Tip-off: 6:00 PM PST
Television –
- Los Angeles: KCAL 9 (Bill Macdonald & Stu Lantz)
- Utah: FS Utah (Craig Bolerjack & Ron Boone)
Radio –
- Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (John Ireland & Mychal Thompson)
- Utah: 1320 AM KFAN (David Locke, David James & Patrick Kinehan)
Injuries –
Lakers:
- Josh McRoberts (Sprained Left Big Toe) Probable
- Kobe Bryant (Torn Lunotriquetral Ligament, Right Wrist) Probable
- Steve Blake (Bruised Ribs) Out
Jazz:
- Devin Harris (Strained Left Hamstring) Out
- Earl Watson (Sprained Left Ankle) Out
- Raja Bell (Strained Right Adductor) Out