Associated Press
LOS ANGELES ó The Lakers won the West in a runaway and they stuck to a similar script in their playoff opener.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, Trevor Ariza added 21 and Pau Gasol 20 as Los Angeles defeated the Utah Jazz 113-100 Sunday.
Allowing a Phil Jackson-coached team to win Game 1 of any series doesn’t bode well for the opposition. Jackson’s teams improved to 42-0 in series openers, including 18-0 with the Lakers.
The Lakers wrapped up the top seed in the Western Conference with 21/2 weeks remaining in the regular season, and eventually won the West by 11 games.
They pretty much had their way against the Jazz, leading by 22 points at halftime and then answered resoundingly both times Utah got within nine in the second half.
Bryant’s total gave him 3,710 career postseason points, moving him past Magic Johnson and into ninth on the NBA’s list. He trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4,070) and Jerry West (4,457) for most points in the playoffs with the Lakers.
Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 27 points and Deron Williams added 16 points and a career playoff-high 17 assists. Both were in foul trouble, with Boozer getting his third just before halftime when Williams already had two.