Jazz defeat Lakers despite 19-point third quarter from Kobe Bryant
NBA rookie Gordon Hayward scored a team-high 26 points to lead the Utah Jazz to 99-94 pre-season win over the Los Angeles Lakers (2-3) last night in Los Angeles. The Jazz, now a perfect
6-0 in exhibition play, withstood a 19-point third quarter from Kobe Bryant, whose scoring binge drew chants of “KO-BE” from the crowd.
"I'm surprised they were chanting my name. I mean, come on. It's the preseason," said Bryant, who went scoreless in the first half. "I'm sure they'd much rather see me in June than right
now. But I still appreciate it."
Meanwhile, the Jazz were happy with the game they got out of Hayward, the ninth-pick in last summer’s NBA Draft. The small forward, who led Butler to the NCAA championship game against
Duke last year, made eight of his ten shots from the field and connected on 10 of his 11 free throws.
"A game like tonight just gives you a little confidence," Hayward said. "It's a learning process, and I have a lot to learn from this game…It was fun out there tonight. I just wanted to
go out there and play hard, don't think about it and let my instincts take over."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose 6-0 start is a franchise record, liked the composure of his rookie.
"He just played basketball," he said. "They got after him pretty good early on and took him to the basket a couple of times, but he fought back. That's a good sign for a young player –
fight back and continue to play."
The Lakers, chasing a three-peat this year, missed 13 of their first 16 shots to fall behind by 14 points in the second quarter. But they battled back, trimming the lead to five after
two quarters of play. Fuelled by Bryant’s hot shooting, the Lakers took a 69-58 lead mid-way through the third quarter, their biggest of the game. But the Jazz fought back and entered the final frame up 74-73. And with Bryant sitting out the entire fourth
quarter, his team made only three of their 14 shots, not good enough for the win.
C.J. Miles scored 15 points for the Jazz while off-season acquisition Al Jefferson finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
Pau Gasol had a game-high 28 points while Lamar Odom finished the game with eight points and 15 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Lakers coach Phil Jackson drew some positives from the night.
"All these games mean something on some level," he said. "We had a really good third quarter, but didn't protect the lead we had at the end of the third. I was relatively pleased that
we hung in there and had a chance toward the end to win it – playing a couple of rookies and the team we had out there. We just didn't make shots in the fourth quarter."
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