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LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah
Jazz 111-104 on Wednesday to move within one victory of advancing in
the National Basketball (NBA) Association playoffs.
Pau Gasol made two key baskets
down the stretch for the Lakers, who took a three-games-to-two lead
in the best-of-7 Western Conference second-round series.
Spain’s Gasol finished with 21
points, eight assists and six rebounds and NBA Most Valuable Player
Kobe Bryant scored 26 points for the Lakers, who can wrap up the
series with a victory in Game 6 on Friday at Salt Lake City.
The Jazz were an NBA-leading 37-4
at home during the regular season, with one of their rare home
defeats coming against the Lakers.
“Make a couple of darn shots,
that’s it, that’s what we have to do,” Bryant said of what it
will take to win in Utah.
“At home teams play with more
energy on defensive end,” he added. “We certainly did tonight.
We just have to carry that over. We will. We’re a pretty good road
team. Utah’s an excellent home team, but we’ve played pretty
well in Utah.”
Mehmet Okur’s putback pulled
the Jazz within one point, but Gasol answered with a basket then
added another off Sasha Vujacic’s missed 3-pointer to make it
107-102 with 20 seconds to play.
The game was tied at 81-81
heading into the fourth quarter, but the Jazz were never able to
take the lead.
Bryant, who hurt his back early
in Sunday’s overtime loss in Salt Lake City, said it was still
sore but improving.
He attempted just 10 shots, but
played the role of distributor for Gasol and Odom, who finished with
22 points and 11 rebounds.
“It was a great team effort. My
teammates really picked me up tonight,” Bryant said.
“The important thing is it
can’t get any worse,” he said of his back. “I should be fine
by Game 6.”
“He’s got a great heart,”
Gasol said of Bryant, “and a great hunger for winning.”
Starters Derek Fisher and
Vladimir Radmanovic were also in double figures for the Lakers.
“I thought we were a little bit
excited,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We didn’t have the
kind of poise I like to see. But our energy was good, that’s for
sure.”
Williams led the Jazz with 27
points and 10 assists, keeping Utah close throughout.
“I thought we did a pretty good
job . . . coming down the stretch we just couldn’t seem to score
even when we got the basketball inside,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan
said. “That’s one of the things that hurt us, we had some
opportunities, but we missed some shots we’d like to have back.”
--AFP
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