Slam Dunk Central

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Home court advantage in the Los Angeles-Utah series has been huge, with each team winning on their home court.? While that is true, Kobe Bryant just simply wanted to be able to play on Wednesday night, battling a back problem.? Based on how he played agaisnt Utah tonight, you’d assume that his back is just fine.? Bryant and 2 other Lakers scored 20+ points each, leading Los Angeles to a 111-104 win over Utah at Staples Center; the win gives the Lakers a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

Both teams shot relatively well as Los Angeles outscored Utah 29-26 going into the second quarter; they would outscore the Jazz 32-28 in the second quarter, taking a 61-54 lead going into halftime.? Utah, which trailed by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, would outscore the Lakers 15-8 to begin the third quarter, knotting the game up at 69.? The game was tied?for a fourth - and final - time early in the fourth quarter before Los Angeles slowly pulled away and kept the lead for good as Luke Walton made a free throw with 9:54 left to go.?

Los Angeles had three players with 21 or more points, led by Kobe Bryant with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while Lamar Odom scored 22 with 11 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocks; Pau Gasol added 21 with 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks while Vladamir Radmanovic chipped in with 15, along with 3 treys, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.? Utah was led by Deron Williams with 27 points, 3 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 10 assists while Carlos Boozer scored 18 with 12 rebounds and 2 assists; Ronnie Brewer added 16 with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Mehmet Okur recorded a double-double, scoring 13 with 13 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.? Los Angeles hopes to close out the series as they go to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Friday at 10:30 PM EST.