|
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: The Los Angeles Lakers withstood a late rally
by the Utah Jazz Friday, posting a 108-105 victory to advance to the
Western Conference finals of the National Basketball Association
playoffs.
Kobe Bryant, the league’s Most Valuable
Player, scored 34 points, leading six Lakers players in double
figures as Los Angeles completed a four-games-to-two triumph in the
best-of-7 second-round series.
To do it, the Lakers had to become the first
team in the series to win on the road—against a Jazz team that had
the best home record in the regular season.
It was the Lakers’ first playoffs victory at
Utah since 1988 and it sent them to their first Western Conference
finals since 2004.
The Lakers now await the winner of the other
Western Conference series between the defending champion San Antonio
Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets.
Pau Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds for
Los Angeles, which started strong and appeared headed for a rout but
ended up holding off the Jazz in a nail-biting finish.
Deron Williams scored 21 points for the Jazz,
which buried five 3-pointers in the final two and a half minutes to
get within 105-103.
Two of those 3-pointers came 12 seconds apart
from Andrei Kirilenko, a one-time All-Star not known for his
perimeter shooting.
Ahead by two with 16 seconds to play, the Lakers
gave the Jazz a last gasp when Derek Fisher missed a free throw to
give Utah a possession and a chance to force overtime.
The Jazz missed twice, including an attempt by
Williams that rattled in and out of the hoop just before time
expired.
In Cleveland, LeBron James had 32 points and 12
rebounds as the Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics, 74-69, to force a
deciding Game 7 in their series.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Cavaliers used
a 19-0 run bridging the second and third quarters to take control of
the contest and keep top seeded Boston without a victory on the road
this postseason.
Now the Celtics will host the Cavaliers on
Sunday to decide the Eastern Conference second-round series, the
winner of which will face the Detroit Pistons in the conference
finals.
Two James jump shots opened the fourth quarter
and closed a 10-scoring run that gave Cleveland a 63-50 lead.
The Celtics battled back to 65-60 before James
made back-to-back baskets to stretch the lead to nine with 4:07
remaining.
Cleveland had taken control with a 24-2 run from
late in the second quarter into the third, as the Celtics missed 16
straight shots from the floor.
Down 51-35, Boston went on a 13-0 run to pull
within 51-48 at 3:51 of the third. Garnett and Pierce each scored
six points in the burst.
|
