The AP reports:
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher hit back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-2 run in the final minute and the Lakers held on for a 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night that put Los Angeles on the verge of sweeping the Western Conference playoff series.
The Jazz had two chances to win it in the final 4 seconds, but Deron Williams missed from the top of the key and Wesley Matthews’ tip just before the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Bryant finished with 35 points and Fisher scored 20 for the Lakers, who can close out the four-game sweep with a win Monday night in Game 4. Pau Gasol added 14 points and 17 rebounds for Los Angeles.
Williams scored 28 and Kyle Korver added a career playoff-high 23 points for the Jazz.
Ron Artest scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half for the Lakers, who never led by more than four but stayed close enough to win it in a thrilling final minute.
InsideHoops.com notes:
Artest finally remembered how to make three-pointers, hitting 4-for-7. Also, Bryant and Fisher each hit 3-of-7 from outside the arc.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum did almost nothing in 20 minutes of play, with no points and four rebounds.
The Lakers bench was lousy, with Lamar Odom shooting 2-of-6, Jordan Farmar 2-of-6, and Shannon Brown 4-of-12. Odom did grab eight rebounds.
For the Jazz, Wes Matthews hit just 2-of-11 shots, for nine points.
Offensively, the Jazz bench was terrific. Kyle Korver hit 9-of-10 shots, including 5-of-5 threes for 23 points in just under 24 minutes. Paul Millsap hit 3-of-6. In his return to action, Andrei Kirilenko hit 4-of-7 for eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.
Both teams had similar shooting, rebounding and assists stats. But the Jazz had 31 free throw attempts, hitting 26, while the Lakers had just 19 free throws, making 16.
Live fan discussion of the game was in this forum topic.
