Jazz send Lakers to another road loss

SALT LAKE CITY - Riding adrenaline and some modern treatment on his sprained ankle, Earl Watson took a close game and broke it open for Utah.

He keyed a clinching 14-0 fourth quarter run to help the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 96-87 on Saturday night.

"You don't really notice because you are lost in the game," Watson said. "The emotion takes over."

Al Jefferson scored 18 points and Paul Millsap had 16.

"Man, Earl Watson isn't even supposed to be playing right now, that's the crazy thing about it. He's out there on one leg, having an amazing game for us," Millsap said.

Watson scored eight points and had six assists in the fourth quarter as the Jazz beat the Lakers for the first time in three tries this season.

After he stole the ball from Pau Gasol at the top of the key and fed Derrick Favors for a dunk, Lakers coach Mike Brown went ballistic and charged after official Zach Zarba.

"Pau was just dribbling and I stole the ball. Pau just fell down but I didn't push him. Maybe they thought I did," Watson said.

Brown received two quick technicals and was ejected with 8:34 to play.

"I was trying to give our guys some juice. I got techs. I shouldn't have got two techs," Brown said. "I put our guys in a deeper hole than we were already in and that probably cost the game."

Watson threw an alley-oop to C.J. Miles that brought the crowd to its feet and then capped the 14-0 run with a 3-pointer with 6:18 to play that gave Utah its biggest lead of the game, 83-68.

"I saw it coming early when I started running because my man was behind the play. Earl just threw it up there," Miles said of the big dunk. "I knew it was a big part of the run we were making and that really got the crowd into it."

Kobe Bryant scored 26 points and Gasol had 24 points and 16 rebounds but the Lakers dropped to 3-8 on the road.

Just about every play went through Bryant after Brown's ejection. Bryant made two 3-pointers and added three free throws after getting fouled on another attempt in a span of 1:13.

Associated Press

(China Daily 02/06/2012 page23)