Lakers 109 - 113 Jazz
Final
  for this game

Lakers return to tough environment of 2008 playoff site

Feb 11, 2009 - 11:32 AM LA Lakers (42-9) at Utah (29-23) 9:00 p.m. EST

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- The last time the Utah Jazz played host to the Los Angeles Lakers, the game ended in heartbreaking fashion. And it wasn't just the game, of course - it was a loss that ended their season.

The Western Conference foes met in last spring's semifinals, which the Lakers won in six games on their way to the NBA Finals. On Wednesday night, they return to Salt Lake City looking for a similar result in their last game before the All-Star break.

The series' deciding sixth game at EnergySolutions Arena looked to be firmly in the Lakers' control for the majority of the night before the Jazz - buoyed perhaps by desperation, perhaps by the home crowd, perhaps both - caught fire from long range, hitting five 3-pointers over the last 2:32 of play to cap a furious fourth-quarter rally.

But they fell one 3-pointer short. On the game's final possession, the Jazz missed two good looks from the arc, including Deron Williams' shot that rolled around the inside of the rim before flipping back out.

Utah's chances to make a run at Los Angeles' supremacy out West have been derailed this season by a litany of injuries to many of their best players. It was Deron Williams for most of the first month with an ankle injury. For a brief time, it was Mehmet Okur's back. Then it was Carlos Boozer's quad, which became a knee problem, which turned into a surgery. Andrei Kirilenko went under the knife as well.

While they have remained afloat in the playoff race, they have failed to generate any consistency. The good news for Utah is that both Boozer and Kirilenko are expected back soon after the All-Star break.

For the Jazz - who don't have any All-Stars this season - they'd like to go into the break with a bit of momentum. A win against a powerhouse like the Lakers might do the trick.

Their first attempt, however, didn't pan out. In a January 2 meeting at the Staples Center, Kobe Bryant went for 40 points in a 113-100 victory.






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