Story Created:
Feb 11, 2010 at 1:19 PM PST
Story Updated:
Feb 11, 2010 at 1:19 PM PST
Maybe Kobe Bryant can take all the time he needs to let his sore left ankle heal.
With their superstar on the sidelines for a third straight game, the Lakers responded with a 96-81 victory over the Utah Jazz Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
The Lakers, who are 3-0 without Bryant, snapped Utah’s nine-game winning streak.
“This is a good team no matter who’s in or who’s out of the lineup,” said Lamar Odom, who had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can play.”
Pau Gasol had 22 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks and Jordan Farmar added 18 points for Lakers, who enter the All-Star break with the best record in the Western Conference at 41-13.
And the last three wins have come with Bryant resting his sore left ankle, which he aggravated last week. His status for the All-Star game Sunday remains uncertain, but the Lakers have shown that he can take his time recovering as they prepare to defend their NBA title.
Los Angeles was also without center Andrew Bynum, who was out with a bruised right hip, yet didn’t appear to be the slightest bit short-handed.
“We’ve been playing good basketball recently. It was unfortunate that Kobe had to go out and Andrew as well,” Farmar said. “Everybody took it upon themselves to really play better basketball and play together.”
Gasol and Odom shut down the lane and forced the Jazz outside, disrupting Utah’s offense and playing more aggressively from the start. The Lakers broke open the game with a 12-0 run at the end of the first quarter and held a double-figure lead from early in the second period through the end.
The Jazz were coming off a win over the Clippers Tuesday in Los Angeles.
“Where our energy was is beyond me,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “Our energy level was very, very low. Give them credit. They are a terrific team. That’s why they are the world champions.”
Deron Williams had 11 points, 10 assists and was one rebound short of a triple-double for Utah.
Carlos Boozer had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Andrei Kirilenko finished with 17 points, four blocks and five rebounds. Wesley Matthews added 13 points for the Jazz, who lost for the first time since Jan. 17.
“They had more energy than us tonight,” Williams said. “They played harder, competed harder and looked like they wanted the game more.”
The Lakers flustered Utah into outside shots that wouldn’t fall. The Jazz also hurt themselves with a dismal night at the foul line, going 13 for 25.
Utah made a short-lived run early in the fourth quarter, but could only get within 12 points before the Lakers ended their only cold stretch of the night.
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