Jazz 117 - 110 Lakers
Final
  for this game

Lakers continue slide, fall to Jazz

Dec 10, 2012 - 6:21 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Paul Millsap poured in a team-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds, leading the Utah Jazz to a 117-110 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center.

Mo Williams netted 22 points and Al Jefferson donated 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who have won three straight on the heels of a three- game slide. Enes Kanter dropped in 14 points and grabbed six boards in a 17- plus minute run off the bench and Gordon Hayward also contributed 14 points in the victory.

"We don't have a superstar, so we have to play together," Jefferson said. "We have to get stops on the defensive end, and we did that tonight. This win was big."

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 34 points and Jordan Hill added a career-high 17 points and nine boards for the scuffling Lakers, who have lost seven of their last 10 and played without Pau Gasol for the fourth consecutive game due to knee tendinitis.

Jodie Meeks put home 16 points and Dwight Howard added 11 and 16 boards in the setback.

Utah got off to a quick start, netting the first eight points of the game before the Lakers scored eight of the next 10 to cut the deficit to one possession with 8:10 on the first-quarter clock.

A turnaround jumper by Millsap made it a 16-8 Jazz lead, but the Lakers rallied and led 27-25 after 12 minutes.

Antawn Jamison buried a 3-ball from the top of the arc early in the second session to tie the game at 33-33, and it remained a one-possession game until the Jazz put some distance between the sides late in the frame.

Holding a one-point lead with 6:45 left before the break, the Jazz broke things open with an 11-0 run, which allowed the visitors to build a 52-40 lead with 4:10 on the clock.

Chris Duhon hit a 30-foot 3-ball to cut the deficit to single digits, but the Jazz kept the Lakers at arm's length and led 60-51 at halftime.

The Lakers opened the second half with an 11-4 surge, capped by a Bryant trey, to slice the deficit to 64-62 with 9:20 on the third-quarter clock.

However, Los Angeles could never get over the hump in the session, as a pair of free throws by Millsap with two minutes to go gave the Jazz an 85-78 advantage and the visitors held an 88-85 lead heading to the final quarter.

Utah ripped off a 20-8 run to begin the fourth quarter, widening the margin to 108-93 -- the largest lead of the night -- in the process.

The Lakers fought back with a 17-7 run, cutting the deficit all the way down to 115-110 with 1:10 to play, but the home team's comeback bid fell just short, as they allowed a season-high in points by the time the final horn sounded.

"We're not very good right now," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They outran us, they had too many fastbreak points. There's no excuse for giving up 117 points. You have to fight and we're not doing it."

Game Notes

The Lakers had won 10 of the previous 12 matchups and 18 of their last 22 home contests against the Jazz ... Utah shot an efficient 54.2 percent from the floor and dominated the Lakers in the paint, 54-34 ...Utah improved to 4-9 on the road this season.






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