Pau Gasol scored 33 points with 14 rebounds and Kobe Bryant poured in 32 points Monday as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Utah 111-96 to advance to the NBA’s Western Conference finals.
The Lakers reached the conference finals for the third straight year as they continued their defense of the NBA crown they captured last season.
The Lakers quickly extinguished any hopes the Jazz had of extending the series, taking a 22-point lead in the second quarter.
PHOTO: AFP
“With close-out games, you have a tendency to lose focus,” Bryant said. “We kept our concentration and paid attention to detail.”
The Jazz, who had faced the task of becoming the first NBA team to recover from an 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, narrowed the gap to five points in the third quarter, but the Lakers made sure they got no closer.
The Lakers had only six turnovers and made 29 of 36 free throws as they eliminated the Jazz from the playoffs for the third straight year.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“We had one of our better games tonight,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “This is the first really consistent game we have played, except for a six-minute stint in the third quarter.
“We controlled the game and forced our will on our opponent,” he said.
The Jazz lost the first three games by single digits, but could never find a way to neutralize Bryant.
The Lakers star scored at least 30 points in all four games.
In the finals starting next Monday the Lakers will face Phoenix, who swept San Antonio.
Deron Williams led Utah with 21 points and nine assists.
Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Kyrylo Fesenko added 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who were swept for the first time in 21 years.
“We’re a playoff team and they’re a championship team. They’re just better than we are,” Williams said.
Shannon Brown scored 12 and Lamar Odom added 10 points for the Lakers, who showed their determination to avoid a Game Five as they thwarted Utah’s attempts to get inside.
“We all were discouraged. It was kinda deja vu,” Williams said. “It’s always hard to get down 10, 12 points against this team and try and come back.”
“We knew they were a great team and I don’t think anybody had us picked to beat them,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. “We had some good moments and some moments that weren’t very good.”
■MAGIC 98, HAWKS 84
AFP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
The Orlando Magic swept into the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Monday, finishing off a lopsided series against Atlanta with a 98-84 victory on the Hawks’ home floor.
Vince Carter scored 22 points to lead another dominant performance by the Magic, who won the four games by an average of 25 points.
Orlando, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year’s NBA Finals, have won 14 games in a row — the last eight of them in the playoffs as they posted back-to-back series sweeps.
FOCUSED
“Guys are just focused. It’s unbelievable to see,” said Carter, who was acquired by Orlando after they fell to the Lakers last season in hopes he could help the team go one step further to a title.
“This is my opportunity for a championship,” Carter said.
Next up for the Magic will be either Boston or Cleveland — the team they upset in the conference finals last year to reach the championship series. Boston and Cleveland were tied at two games apiece with the Cavs to host Game Five yesterday.
Atlanta held Dwight Howard to 13 points and eight rebounds, but Orlando showed they have other ways to score.
Jameer Nelson used his quickness to stymie the Hawks, finishing with 16 points and nine assists.
Rashard Lewis scored 17 points, knocking down four three-pointers. Meanwhile Mickael Pietrus’ 12 points all came from three-point range.
As a team, Orlando was 16 of 37 from three-point range.
“We would have to be playing at our absolute, absolute best — like, mistake free — to beat that team,” said Jamal Crawford, who led the Hawks with 18 points. “That team is a great team. They have as good a chance as any to win a championship.”
Atlanta’s Joe Johnson completed a dismal series by scoring 14 points.
He was booed by the home crowd at the start of the game and again when he went to the bench with less than four minutes remaining.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was