[January 04, 2014]LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers
point guard Kendall Marshall made the most of his opportunity.
Marshall, who got his first start after point guard Jordan Farmar
and guard Xavier Henry went down with injuries, scored 20 points and
handed out 15 assists, both career bests, as the Lakers snapped
their six-game losing streak with a 110-99 victory over the Utah
Jazz on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 18,997 at the Staples
Center.
Center Pau Gasol almost recorded a triple-double, finishing with 23
points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, and helping the Lakers
(14-19) end a three-game skid at home. Marshall, though, stole the
show with his effective play at the point, where a rash of injuries
had drained practically all of the team's resources.
"I'm thankful for the position I'm in right now and I want to make
the most of it with this team," said Marshall, who also grabbed six
rebounds, committed just one turnover and delivered a key 3-pointer
down the stretch to help the Lakers halt a two-game winning streak
by Utah (11-25).
"He was able to get down (in the lane) and he's big enough to see
over the top of the screens," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "He
made his first shot, so he felt good about getting himself going,
and he had a good game from there."
Guard Jodie Meeks added 18 points and forward Nick Young scored 16
for the Lakers. Forwards Wesley Johnson and Shawne Williams scored
11 and 10, respectively.
"We've got to build on it," said Gasol, who was 10 of 17 from the
floor, of the win. "We don't expect to win every game, but I think
we're on the right path."
Guard Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points and forward Richard
Jefferson had 16. Reserve center Enes Kanter had 16 points and 10
rebounds. Forwards Marvin Williams and Jeremy Evans and center
Derrick Favors each scored 11.
"They knocked down some big shots at some timely moments and you've
got to credit them," said Hayward, who connected on 8-of-16
shooting, including four of six from behind the arc. "It's a growing
experience for us. They did a good job of running their plays and
executing on us."
Los Angeles took an 83-67 lead into the fourth quarter before
the Jazz rallied. They opened the quarter with a 10-2 surge to
cut the Lakers' lead to 85-77 after a jumper by guard Trey
Burke, who finished with six points and nine assists, with 9:18
remaining in the game.
Utah closed the gap to within 94-90 after Burke scored again
with about two minutes remaining. After the two teams exchanged
baskets, Meeks hit a 3-pointer to give Los Angeles a 99-92
advantage.
The Jazz cut the lead to five after a basket by Hayward, but got
no closer.
"(It's) a young group of guys, but we've got to make sure we
come out ready to go," said Corbin, whose club was playing the
second end of back-to-back contests after Thursday night's 96-87
win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "We just didn't get the pep we
were looking for. The second half I thought we fought back...we
just didn't get off to the start I thought we would."
The Lakers led by as much as 20 in the first half as Gasol
connected on eight of 12 field goals for 16 points, giving the
Lakers a 52-40 lead at the break.
Marshall scored seven points and had nine assists before
intermission.
Los Angeles bolted to a 30-12 lead after one quarter. The Lakers
connected on 11 of 17 shots (64.7 percent) compared to only 6 of
26 (23.1 percent) for the Jazz in the quarter.
NOTES: Injuries forced the Lakers to use their 18th different
starting lineup in 33 games. Coach Mike D'Antoni went with a
bigger presence inside, starting 7-0 C Robert Sacre and 7-0 F
Pau Gasol together for the third time. "We're trying to find a
combination that will work best," D'Antoni said. "And our
interior defense has not been good." ... Lakers F Wesley Johnson
returned after missing Tuesday's game with gastroenteritis. ...
Utah coach Ty Corbin was pleased with how his club has finished
games recently, posting wins in three of its last four outings
entering Friday. "We've won some close games because of our
experiences earlier," Corbin said. ... Utah reserve G Diante
Garrett, who the Jazz picked up as a free agent in November, is
the son of former NBA player Dick Garrett. ... Utah's 12 points
in the first quarter were a season low.
