Lakers hold off Jazz 108-105, reach West finals

[May 17, 2008]  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored 34 points and Los Angeles held off a furious rally by the Utah Jazz for a 108-105 victory Friday night, putting the Lakers in the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years.

The Jazz trailed by 19 at halftime and 16 at the end of the third quarter, but hit a flurry of 3-pointers to get within two points in the final minute. The Jazz had a chance to tie it at the end, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds and Utah's season was over.

It was the only win by the visiting team in the series and kept the Lakers from having to host a Game 7 on Monday, instead giving Bryant a chance to rest his ailing back. The Lakers made 11 of 13 foul shots in the fourth quarter while barely holding off Utah's rally.

Bryant also had eight rebounds and six assists. Pau Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who get to sit back and wait for the winner of the San Antonio-New Orleans series, which will be decided with a Game 7 on Monday.

Williams led Utah with 21 points and 14 assists.

Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Okur had 16 points and 10 boards, hitting two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter during Utah's comeback. The Jazz were 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in the final period, but could not quite overcome the huge lead the Lakers had built through the first three quarters.

Los Angeles stopped Utah's pick-and-roll and just about everything else the Jazz tried inside until the fourth. The Jazz started hurrying outside shots, which weren't going in and the rebounds seemed to always bounce Gasol's way. Nine of his 11 rebounds in the first half were defensive.

Utah finally started hitting from the perimeter and getting inside the lane for points in the fourth, but Bryant kept the Lakers from blowing the lead by scoring 12 in the period.

Bryant's back seized up on him early in Game 4 here, when the Jazz tied the series 2-2 with two straight home wins. Bryant's back was better when the Lakers won Game 5 at home, and on Friday he was showing his MVP form again. Bryant went 9-for-19 from the floor and made 15 of 17 free throws.

The Lakers took 13 more foul shots than the Jazz, getting sent to the line repeatedly as the Jazz tried to make up the deficit. They finished 31-for-38.

Gasol and Lamar Odom shut down the lane as the Lakers pulled ahead and rattled the Jazz as they had in the first two games of the series in Los Angeles. Gasol blocked four shots and Odom blocked one and had nine rebounds.

Reserve Paul Millsap added 15 points for Utah and led the Jazz on a 14-5 run early in the fourth quarter that set up the frantic finish. 

Williams made a reverse layup to cut it to 91-80, then the Lakers turned it over again when Boozer stepped in front of Gasol to deflect a pass and start another break for Utah, which Millsap finished with another dunk to make it 91-82. It was the first time the lead was single digits since the Lakers led 20-12.

After a timeout by the Lakers, Bryant was called for an offensive foul for an elbow to Matt Harpring. Harpring drew another foul on Bryant at the other end and made both free throws to get Utah within 93-86, but Bryant answered with a 3-pointer to put the Lakers back up by 10 and slow Utah's run.

The Lakers led 101-91 with about two minutes left when the Jazz made their last-gasp push. Okur hit two 3-pointers, then Andrei Kirilenko hit another to cut the lead to 103-100 after Millsap blocked a layup by Bryant. Odom hit two free throws, followed by another 3 by Kirilenko, then Bryant hit two more from the line to make it 107-103 with 15.5 seconds left.

The Jazz went for a quick two points and scored on a dunk by Williams, then got a break when Derek Fisher went 1-for-2 from the line. Utah just needed a 3-pointer and got two off, but missed both and the buzzer sounded.

Fisher, who played in Utah last season, and Williams hugged after the horn and the Utah fans cheered the Jazz loudly as they left the floor for the final time.

Notes:@ The Lakers improved to 36-1 when winning first two games of best-of-seven series. ... Los Angeles had not clinched a series on the road since completing a sweep of New Jersey in the 2002 NBA finals. ... Utah was 37-4 at home this season and 4-2 in the playoffs.

[Associated Press; By DOUG ALDEN]

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