Jazz at Lakers (Game 5)
Opening line and total: Lakers -8 ½ (214)

Deron Williams led the Jazz with 29 points and 14 assists, while Carlos Boozer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and got 12 rebounds. Mehmet Okur added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko finished with 15 points and five blocks, including stuffing Kobe Bryant twice as the Lakers tried to rally in overtime.

Bryant, who said he was fighting back spasms from early in the first quarter, scored 33 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the Lakers.

Los Angeles helped by sending the Jazz to the line 20 more times than the Lakers, who made it worse by missing 11 of 25 foul shots.

The Lakers also received 26 points and 13 rebounds from Lamar Odom. Pau Gasol chipped in with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher finished with 15 points, scoring 10 straight as the Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter. However, Fisher did not register any assists and got in early foul trouble.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said his team was depending too much on Bryant.

"I still thought he went to the basket hard at the end," Jackson said. "He was still able to get to the basket and do what he wanted to do. He was out there to make plays."

The Jazz were 40-for-76 (53 percent) from the field and had a huge advantage at the free-throw line, making 37 of 45 free throws. The Jazz reserves also dominated, outscoring the Lakers’ bench, 39-16.

Since the closing total for Game 4 was 211, bettors would have still cashed their ‘over’ bets when the game went to overtime tied at 108.

The Jazz had played one overtime game all season prior to Sunday, but outscored the Lakers 15-7 in the extra period. Okur hit two 23-footers and Kirilenko dunked as part of a three-point play to push the Jazz over the hump.

The Lakers didn't score for the first 3:39 of overtime until Bryant drove for a layup. It came only after the MVP guard had missed his first four shots in the extra session.

The Jazz were able to close out the victory as Williams and Korver went 8-for-8 from the foul line. Though Bryant finished with 33 points, he went 13-for-33 overall and 1-for-10 on three-pointers.

So, with Bryant battling back spasms, the Lakers flew home not only with a loss but a question mark for Game 5. Bryant twisted his back on a turnaround jumper in the game's first minute and shot 2-for-13 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Bryant said he would play Wednesday but conceded the injury made it hard for him to run and cut.

To win this series, the Jazz will must win at least once at Staples Center, where they are 3-16 SU all-time against the Lakers. The Jazz are 0-4 SU this season, with all four losses occurring by double digits.

Utah is 19-27 both SU and ATS through 46 road encounters, with the ‘over’ going 24-21-1. The Jazz are getting outscored on the road by an average of 103-102.

The Lakers are 34-11 SU and 24-21 ATS through 45 home outings, with the ‘over’ going 24-20-1. They are outscoring the opposition at home by an average of nine points per game (111-102).

May 14, 2008