The Lakers destroyed the Spurs on Friday Night in L.A. The Lakers did it with good offense (54.9% FG%) and even better defense (34.5%) which explains the beating they put on the Spurs. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Lamar Odom stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocked shots. Jordan Farmar pitched in with 14 points and 2 rebounds off the bench. The Lakers are now up 2-0 in this series as it heads to San Antonio.

The Lakers were down 20 points at one point last night and they came back to win the game when they outscored the Spurs 24-13 in the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Pau Gasol stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Vladimir Radmanovic only played 24 minutes last night but he did a solid job scoring 10 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic played 32 minutes off the bench and he finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The Lakers take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers didn’t get a lot of production from first round pick (G) Javaris Crittenton, but, he was the key in the Pau Gasol trade so last June’s Draft has to be graded as very positive. Forward Coby Karl didn’t play very well but he didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do. Karl played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this season and he averaged 4.2 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Karl only shot 34.6% from the floor and he likely won’t get more playing time unless he shoots better.

The Lakers built a 86-70 lead after three quarters and they needed it to hold off a furious 4th quarter rally from the Jazz. The Lakers shot 50% from the floor which negated the fact that the Jazz outrebounded them 52-38 in this game on Friday. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers in this game with 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Pau Gasol was also solid with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocked shots. Derek Fisher pitched in with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. The Lakers finished off the Jazz 4-2 and await the winner of the Hornets-Spurs series.

The Lakers outscored the Jazz 30-23 in the 4th quarter on Wednesday Night to run down a victory in L.A. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Lamar Odom also had a good game finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Pau Gasol also stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocked shots. This win gave the Lakers a 3-2 lead in this series.

The Lakers once again had a hard time on defense as the Jazz shot 52.6% from the floor last night. Kobe Bryant did his best last night with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. Lamar Odom had another great game with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots. Pau Gasol was tough around the basket with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Derek Fisher hit 4 of 5 shots from three point range as he finished with 15 points and 2 steals. The Lakers are now tied up 2-2 with the Jazz.

The Lakers forgot to play defense Friday Night as the Jazz shot 50% from the floor and it doomed them in the end. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Lamar Odom was very busy in the paint with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Derek Fisher pitched in with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. The Lakers are still up 2-1 in this series.

The Lakers shot 57.4% from the floor last night and that was the big reason for the win. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night as he finished with 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Derek Fisher pitched in with 22 points, 2 assists and 3 steals. Pau Gasol was busy last night with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocked shots. Lamar Odom was outstanding last night also as he finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Lakers are now up 2-0 in this series.

The Lakers played great defense holding the Jazz to 37.9% from the floor which trumped the fact that the Lakers outrebounded them 58-41. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 38 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Pau Gasol also had a solid game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. Lamar Odom was also effective with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. Sasha Vujacic was great off the bench with 15 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. The Lakers are now up 1-0 in this series.

This will be a big test for both of these teams as they both have their eyes on the NBA Championship. Here’s a close look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Derek Fisher is a decent player but he doesn’t match up too well with Deron Williams of the Jazz. Fisher started all 4 games against the Nuggets and he averaged 32.3 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He did hit 6 of 12 three pointers (50%) as he is a good shooter when left open.

Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the NBA and he will likely run Derek Fisher right out of the building. Williams started all 6 games against the Rockets in the first round and he averaged 42.0 minutes, 20.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. Williams shot 53% from the floor and 59.1% from three point range in the first round. The fans of Utah will likely give Fisher a warm welcome when his name is announced in there arena, but Williams is going to make him look bad.

EDGE: HUGE FOR THE JAZZ

SHOOTING GUARD: Kobe Bryant won the MVP Award in the NBA this season and he played even better in the first round of the playoffs against the Nuggets. Bryant started all 4 games against the Nuggets in the first round and he averaged 39.3 minutes, 33.5 points, 5.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game. The Jazz won’t be able to stop Kobe in this series.

2nd year man Ronnie Brewer will battle Kobe for about half of the game. He started all 6 games against the Rockets and he averaged 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Brewer had issues defending Tracy McGrady and Kobe’s a similar player in style to T-Mac while being a lot better.

EDGE: HUGE FOR THE LAKERS

SMALL FORWARD: Vladimir Radmanovic will start for the Lakers and he will split time with the suddenly hot shooting Luke Walton. Radmanovic started all 4 games against the Nuggets and he averaged 24.3 minutes, 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. But, he only shot 31.6% from the floor and he needs to do better than that if the Lakers are to beat the Jazz.

Andrei Kirilenko has rebounded this season to play well for the Jazz on defense. He started all 6 games against the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.3 minutes, 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocked shots.

EDGE: SMALL FOR JAZZ

POWER FORWARD: This should be a fun matchup to watch as Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer are both really solid basketball players. Lamar Odom started all 4 games against the Nuggets and he averaged 35.3 minutes, 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He will likely keep Boozer busy as he is a solid outside shooter and a good passer.

Carlos Boozer is the typical slug it out power forward. He started all 6 games against the Rockets in the first round and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 16.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

EDGE: SMALL FOR THE JAZZ

CENTER: Pau Gasol was the key piece that was missing for the Lakers the last couple of seasons. He started 4 games against the Nuggets and he averaged 40.0 minutes, 22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 blocked shots per game. Gasol also shot 58.2% from the floor against the Nuggets. Gasol is really a power forward playing center and that causes a lot of matchup problems for the opposition.

Mehmet Okur has really been a solid basketball player since coming over from the Pistons a few seasons ago. He is a solid rebounder and he’s also one of the best outside shooting centers in the NBA which causes matchup problems for teams. Okur started all 6 games against the Rockets and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 13.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

EDGE: LAKERS

BENCH: The Lakers didn’t play a lot of players off the bench in the first round of the playoffs but the ones that played did well. Luke Walton was awesome off the bench against the Nuggets in the first round. He played in all 4 games off the bench and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Walton shot 71% from the floor against the Nuggets and he hit 4 of 5 three point shots. Sasha Vujacic is also a very solid shooter off the bench as he hit 8 of 16 (50%) shots from three point range. In the four games against the Nuggets, Vujacic averaged 18.8 minutes, 7.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Jordan Farmar splits time with Derek Fisher at the point guard position and he will be kept busy helping to defend Deron Williams. Farmer played in all 4 games against the Nuggets and he averaged 16.5 minutes, 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Ronny Turiaf is one of the top reserves among the big men for the Lakers but he only played in 2 games against the Nuggets. He averaged 3.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 2.5 rebounds per game against the Nuggets.

The Jazz have a deep and talented bench. Sharpshooter Kyle Korver was brought in from Philly at mid-season and he provided firepower off the bench. Korver played in all 6 games against the Rockets and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Matt Harpring is the guy who dives for balls and always hustles for the Jazz. It often rubs off on his teammates when he is on the floor. He played in all 6 games against the Rockets and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Paul Millsap is one of the best young power forwards in the NBA who doesn’t have a starting job. He played in all 6 games against the Rockets and he averaged 17.5 minutes, 5.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Ronnie Price is the backup point guard and he doesn’t get much work. He did play in all 6 games for the Jazz against the Rockets but he only averaged 6.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

EDGE: JAZZ

PREDICTION: THE LAKERS WILL WIN THIS SERIES IN 6 GAMES.