LOS ANGELES(AP) The Utah Jazz played better and it still didn't matter.
Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 and Lamar Odom had 19 off the bench in the Lakers' 119-109 victory over the Jazz on Tuesday night, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 first-round Western Conference playoff series.
"We're not thinking about it being over at all,'' Bryant said. "We're thinking about Game 3.''
The Lakers' Phil Jackson notched his 195th career postseason victory, the most of any coach in NBA history.
"It was an offensive display, not always great ballhandling, but a lot of scoring,'' he said. "That was a trial out there and they threw some new things at us.''
But the Lakers handled the Jazz like they always have at Staples Center, sending Utah to its 11th consecutive loss, including playoff games.
Deron Williams scored a career playoff-high 35 points and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who head home for Game 3 on Thursday. They again played without injured center Mehmet Okur.
"We played a lot better in Game 2 than we did in Game 1. We still got down by a lot early but we were able to fight back,'' Boozer said. "We had chances to win it in the fourth quarter. They just made plays.''
The Lakers' shooting sizzled in the opening quarter, but they found themselves in a tight battle throughout much of the second half.
"It's Deron Williams being a bad boy,'' Bryant said. "He kept them in the game and made plays.''
The Lakers stretched their lead to 96-81 early in the fourth. The Jazz relied mostly on Williams, and he scored six in a row to get his team to 105-99 with 5:22 remaining.
Boozer scored five consecutive points to leave the Jazz trailing 109-106 with 3:18 to go. Odom's fastbreak layup kept the Lakers ahead 111-106, enough of a cushion to survive two missed free throws by Gasol.
Bryant hit a 21-footer from the left corner and Trevor Ariza followed with a 3-pointer as the Lakers ended the game shooting 60 percent from the floor.
"We are getting out there and starting great, and then they come back slowly but surely,'' said Andrew Bynum, who had a playoff career high of 10 points early for the Lakers. "We are going to have to change that.''
tags:
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers (cavs) vs. Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls
Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers (sixers)
Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat
Western Conference:
Los Angeles Lakers (L.A.) vs Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavs (mavericks)
Portland Trailblazers (blazers) vs. Houston Rockets
Негізгі бет Kobe Bryant game 2 round 1 vs Utah Jazz 2009 NBA Playoffs
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