Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 pm ET, TNT)
With the Los Angeles Lakers leading the series by 1-0, the Utah Jazz will try to catch up in Game 2 (10:30 pm ET, TNT) on Tuesday at Staple Center, Los Angeles, California. The Jazz have a home and away record of 53-29, 21-20 respectively, whereas Lakers have a 34-7 home and 57-25 away record.
The Lakers won three of four meetings with the Jazz in the regular season, with all three wins coming by 14 points or more. On Dec.12, the Jazz did pick up one win.
Kobe Bryant is the star player for the Lakers. Whenever he performs, Lakers seal victory against their opponents. He was the one who led the Lakers to a 104-99 win in the Game 1 against the Utah. He scored 11 points in the last four minutes of the game.
“You can double him and try to make their big guys make a shot, but you just have to play a little harder and hope he’ll miss a few. … He’s learned a lot of tricks over the years, a lot of ways to score in a close game. It’s a tougher task to defend him than almost anybody.” Said, Utah coach Jerry Sloan.
Andrei Kirilenko presence will definitely boost Utah’s performance but only if he returns on Tuesday. He is down with a strained left calf. He is the one who is most missed by Utah. Although on Monday, Kirilenko underwent practice but sadly he wasn’t sure of his chances of playing in Game 2.
“He adds a lot of energy to their team,” Bryant said of Kirilenko. “He’s a very good passer and an emotional defender.”
Oddsmakers from online NBA betting websites have given L.A. a money line of -450 while Utah has a line of +340.
