Lakers Take Game Two Over Jazz

The Lakers are now up 2-0 headed into Salt Lake City where the real test will begin against the Utah Jazz. Tonight the Lakers started with a very strong first half once again, but had a somewhat forgettable second half with their turnovers and bad defense.

The Lakers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders in the first quarter scoring an unheard of 41 points and continued their surge throughout the second quarter, but once the second half began the Lakers defense disappeared and the Jazz's versatile point guard Deron Williams started to take over.

Even though Deron Williams finished the game with a game high 35 points and was damn near unguardable the entire game, the Jazz were never really in contention to win game two. The point margin between the two teams bounced back and forth all night long with the Jazz about two possessions away from tying it up, but they never fully closed the gap.

Although Williams was the only Jazz player to give the Lakers serious trouble on the defensive end of the floor, Carlos Boozer also added a double-double with 20 points and 10 boards. Four other Utah players also scored in double figures, but had horrific shooting nights with the exception of Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko who missed only three shots between them.

So besides Williams going off the Lakers kept the Jazz's supporting cast relatively in check much like they did in game one, but the problem remains the same as they struggle to keep playing with the same intensity in the second half.

The Lakers need to improve on their play in the second half, but they still played one hell of game with seven players scoring in double figures!

Shannon Brown and Trevor Ariza continued to play at a high level in game two as Ariza scored 13 points (3 for 3 from deep), dished out nine assists and Brown added 12 points off the bench shooting 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. If these two keep stepping it up the Jazz and whoever the Lakers might face in the second round and beyond will be in some serious trouble.

Kobe Bryant added a team high 26 points while dishing out nine assists. Kobe took more of a distributor role in this game as he set up his teammates throughout the second half and then turned on in classic Kobe fashion in the second half. Pau Gasol also had a good game scoring the basketball adding 22 points.

Although the Lakers are up 2-0 against the Jazz they are not out of the woods yet as the Jazz play as good as anyone at home. I think the Lakers have potential to pull off the sweep, but they will be challenged in game three as the Jazz will almost certainly play better on their home floor.