The Jazz were a very veteran laden team so their weren’t many minutes available for the teams’ rookies. Guard Morris Almond was the Jazz’ first round pick and he only got to play in garbage time. He played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Jazz this season and he averaged 4.3 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Almond only shot 26.7% from the floor but in fairness to him it was probably hard for him to find a rhythm due to his lack of playing time.

Center Kyrylo Fesenko also rarely got a chance to play so it’s also hard to evaluate his performance. Fesenko played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Jazz this season and he averaged 7.8 minutes, 1.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He only shot 37.5% from the floor but he didn’t get to shoot the ball much.

The Jazz fell behind 86-70 after three quarters and they never came all the way back. It hurt that the Jazz only shot 38.1% from the floor which negated the fact that they outrebounded the Lakers 52-38. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz again with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 14 assists. Mehmet Okur had a solid game in the paint with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Millsap was outstanding off the bench with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. The Jazz lose this series 4-2 to the Lakers.

The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 44-34 in the game on Wednesday Night in L.A. but they were outscored 32-23 in the 4th quarter and it doomed them. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Carlos Boozer also had a very solid game with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. Ronnie Brewer pitched in with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists in only 23 minutes. This game put the Jazz down 3-2 in this series.

The Jazz won this hard fought game yesterday and it really helped that they shot 52.6% from the floor as a team. Deron Williams was fantastic as he led the way for the Jazz with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 14 assists and 2 steals. Mehmet Okur was impressive once again with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Andrei Kirilenko was busy with 15 points, 3 assists and 5 blocked shots. Carlos Boozer was tough around the basket with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. The Jazz have now tied the series at 2 games apiece.

The Jazz shot 50% from the floor last Thursday Night and it was a huge key to victory. Carlos Boozer was awesome in this game as he led the way for the Jazz with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 3 assists. Mehmet Okur also had a solid game with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Deron Williams did a good job of running the offense with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 12 assists. The Jazz are now down 2-1 in this series.

The Jazz didn’t play any defense last night as the Lakers shot 57.4% from the floor and it doomed them in the end. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists. Paul Millsap was outstanding off the bench as he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. Mehmet Okur pitched in with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko finished up with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. The Jazz are now down 2-0 in this series.

The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41 yesterday but even that couldn’t overcome the fact that they shot only 37.9% from the floor. Mehmet Okur was only 7 of 19 shooting from the floor yesterday but he still finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 3 assists. Carlos Boozer also had a solid game with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Deron Williams only shot 5 of 18 from the floor but he finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. The Jazz are now down 1-0 against the Lakers.

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.

The Jazz destroyed the Rockets 27-11 in the third quarter and they held them to 39% shooting from the floor which are the big reasons for the win last night. Deron Williams hit 6 of 9 from behind the three point line and he led the Jazz with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Mehmet Okur also had a solid game as he finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Carlos Boozer only shot 6 of 17 from the floor as he finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Ronnie Brewer only played 22 minutes in this game but he made them count finishing with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. The Jazz win this series 4 games to 2.

The Rockets dominated every facet of the basketball game on Tuesday Night. The Jazz only shot 36.5% from the floor and they were outrebounded 46-38 and those were big reasons for the beating they took. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Mehmet Okur only shot 4 of 11 from the floor but he still finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Deron Williams was not his usual self as he finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. The Jazz are now 3-2 in this series.