Lakers Go Cold In Salt Lake, Fall To Jazz 95-86
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)Al Jefferson scored 18 points and Randy Foye added 17 on five 3-pointers to lift the Utah Jazz over the Los Angeles Lakers, 95-86 on Wednesday night.
Mo Williams added 16 points on 8 of 13 shooting for Utah (2-3).
Kobe Bryant entered the game shooting nearly 60 percent but started 3 of 10 and finished 7 of 17 for 29 points as the Lakers fell to 1-4.
Dwight Howard added 19 points for the Lakers and Metta World Peace had 15.
The Jazz led by as many as 16 points early, but the Lakers were within five with 8:27 left before Foye hit three straight 3-pointers to give Utah a 79-68 lead with 6:40 remaining.
The Lakers held a huge advantage at the free throw line, making 32 of 46, including 15 of 17 for Bryant. The Jazz were 16 of 18 from the line.
Utah held a 44-36 advantage in points in the paint and a 15-7 edge on the fast break.
Utah, coming off three straight road losses, started fast and finished strong, with free-agent acquisition Foye providing the punch off the bench offensively.
He also was part of a group of players frustrating Bryant, along with Gordon Hayward and Marvin Williams.
Bryant took only one shot in the first quarter and was 1 of 4 at halftime. Los Angeles was shooting just 25 percent at one point and just 34.3 percent at the half. The Lakers finished 25 of 74 for 33.8 percent.
The Jazz led by seven early as Mo Williams and Hayward started fast. Hayward left Bryant on the floor after stealing the ball from him at one end and dunking at the other for a 9-2 Utah lead.
The Lakers pulled within 19-17 on Pau Gasol's jam off a pass from Bryant. But Utah closed on a 6-0 run to take a 25-17 lead, with a pair of baskets from Derrick Favors and a 17-foot jumper from big man Enes Kanter.
Utah's reserves kept things rolling in the second quarter, with Favors and Kanter dominating inside at both ends. Kanter shut down Howard on back-to-back possessions, and had a dunk and three-point play. Foye's 3-pointer pushed Utah's lead to 35-21 with 9:11 left in the half and his free throws put the Jazz up 43-27.
Mo Williams kept the pressure on offensively with 14 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting, taking advantage of Steve Nash's continued absence. Hayward was just 1 of 5 shooting in the first half and 2 of 11 overall, but had a pair of steals and three blocks, none bigger than his swat of World Peace shortly before the break.
Bryant entered the game shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range as he averaged 26.8 points.
His 79th career game against the Jazz was a struggle.
The Jazz bumped their lead to 13 on a floater by Mo Williams over Steve Blake with 6:25 remaining in the third. A pair of jumpers by Bryant and Blake's second 3-pointer got the Lakers within 60-53 about three minutes later, and Jordan Hill's free and his put-back got the Lakers within 60-56.
Bryant tried to cut it to two but was blocked by Favors, leaving the superstar screaming for the foul. He didn't get it, but Marvin Williams converted a three-point play at the other end six seconds later to push Utah's lead back to 63-56.
Kanter's slam gave Utah a 65-57 lead going into the fourth.
Notes: The Jazz went 3 1/2 minutes without scoring in the third as they shot just 26 percent in the quarter. ... Utah held a 28-16 advantage on points in the paint and 10-2 edge on fast-break points in the first half. ... The Jazz are 2-0 at home and snapped a three-game losing streak.
