The Lakers crushed the Jazz’ will in the first half last night as they rushed out to a 58-41 lead before cruising to a easy victory. Paul Millsap led the way for the Jazz in this game with 21 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Deron Williams stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. C.J. Miles also had a decent game with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots. Wesley Matthews (12 points) and Carlos Boozer (10 points and 14 rebounds) both pitched in offensively in this game. The Jazz get swept out of the playoffs 4 games to none by the Lakers.

The Jazz played hard last night and they just fell short as they had a couple shots at the end of the game that rolled off the rim. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz last night with 28 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists. Kyle Korver was the star of the game for the Jazz last night as he scored 23 points in only 24 minutes off the bench as he hit 9 of 10 shots from the floor and all 5 on his three point shot attempts. Carlos Boozer was solid again around the basket in this game with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists. Paul Millsap (13 points) and C.J. Miles (11 points) pitched in offensively for the Jazz in this game. The Jazz’ season in now on life support as they are now down 3-0 to the Lakers in this series.

Deron Williams had the best first round out of pretty much any player in the playoffs, but in the second round the Los Angeles Lakers have been able to slow him down and that is why the Utah Jazz are down 2-0 so far.  Williams is shooting just 36% from the field and averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 assists in two games against the Lakers.  In the first round he was on fire, shooting 49% from the field and 48% from three, on his way to averaging 25.8 points and 11.3 assists.  Williams had a decent outing in game one, but they needed more than 24 points and 8 assists from him.  He only 15 points in game two, so Williams has to step it up and try and get back in the groove he was in during their first round series against the Nuggets.  The Lakers are much better defensive team than the Nuggets though, and the Lakers size has been making it much more difficult for Williams and the rest of the Jazz to finish in the paint.  The Jazz are going to need Williams to put up some monster numbers if they want a chance in this series, because if he keeps playing like this they will get swept.

The Jazz got outrebounded last night 58-40 and they didn’t play much D as the Lakers shot 50.6% from the floor which explains the loss last night. Paul Millsap was outstanding off the bench in this game for the Jazz as he finished up with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. C.J. Miles had one of his best games of the year last night for the Jazz with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Carlos Boozer was his usual solid self offensively last night with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Deron Williams (15 points) and Wesley Matthews (14 points) also pitched in on offense for the Jazz last night. The Jazz are now down 2-0 as this series shifts to Salt Lake City.

The Jazz didn’t play any D yesterday as the Lakers shot 53.2% from the floor and it did them in. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz yesterday with 24 points and 8 assists. Carlos Boozer (18 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists) and Paul Millsap (16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists) provided the Jazz with muscle in this game. C.J. Miles (16 points) and Wesley Matthews (14 points) each pitched in with solid offensive games yesterday but they came up just a tad short. The Jazz are now down 1-0 in this series.

If the Lakers thought they had a tough time in their first series wait until they get a load of the rising Utah Jazz starting later today. The matchups are what is going to make this a great series and here is a closer look at them:

POINT GUARD: Derek Fisher is a guy who makes big shots at the end of games. But his overall play is a little lacking. He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He did shoot 46.7% from three point range so at least he will give the Lakers some outside shooting against the Jazz.

Deron Williams might just be the best point guard in the NBA right now. He is a great scorer and a outstanding passer. Williams will likely abuse Derek Fisher so bad that the Lakers will likely have to start putting Kobe on him like they did when they had him guard Russell Westbrook midway through their first series against the Thunder. Even that probably won’t work against Williams. Williams played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 40.2 minutes, 25.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

EDGE: HUGE FOR JAZZ

SHOOTING GUARD: Kobe Bryant might he hurting right now but he is still the best shooting guard in the NBA. His shooting was off in the first round of the playoffs (40.8%) from the floor but that’s because he’s banged up right now. Finger and knee issues have hurt his effectiveness so far in the playoffs and the Lakers can’t afford him to have many problems in the 2nd round. Bryant played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.8 minutes, 23.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Wesley Matthews made the Jazz as a undrafted rookie this season. He quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and he improved all year long. He was not intimidated by the playoffs either as he played pretty well against the Nuggets. He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 37.8 minutes, 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Jazz will need Matthews to play solid defense against Kobe for them to have a shot to pull an upset in this series.

EDGE: HUGE FOR LAKERS

CENTER: Andrew Bynum is a player on the rise. Despite Phil Jackson’s whining about his play earlier this season he kept him in the starting lineup because he knows he has a future star on his hands. Bynum played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Bynum also shot 57.4% from the floor but most of his shots come from close range. The Jazz are going to use Paul Millsap at center a lot in this series so Bynum will need to take advantage of his size.

Kyrylo Fesenko will be the starting center for the Jazz in this series. He didn’t get much playing time all year so we’re just beginning to see what he can do as a player right now. He played in 6 games (5 starts) against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. The Jazz are just looking to get 15-20 decent minutes out of Fesenko every game.

EDGE: HUGE FOR LAKERS

POWER FORWARD: This will be the matchup to watch as Pau Gasol with be dealing with Carlos Boozer. Gasol was outstanding against the Thunder but he will have a much tougher matchup in this series. Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 18.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game on 53.2% shooting from the floor.

Carlos Boozer is a beast near the basket as he goes all out to get his hands on the basketball. Boozer is relentless and so is Gasol so it will be amazing to watch this matchup. Boozer played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 41.2 minutes, 22.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

EDGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: Ron Artest was the Lakers’ defensive stopper in the opening series against the Thunder as he gave Kevin Durant fits for six games. He will likely be able to have a more well rounded game against the Jazz as defense won’t have to be his first priority as the Jazz don’t have a high scoring small forward. Artest played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 37.0 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

C.J. Miles stepped up his game a tad in the first round of the playoffs. He played a couple of really good defensive games against Carmelo Anthony and he helped out some on offense. Miles played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets in which he averaged 32.7 minutes, 13.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The Jazz will need similar numbers out of Miles in this series if they are going to pull an upset.

EDGE: LAKERS

BENCH: The Lakers will probably go only 8 deep in this series. Lamar Odom is the guy the Lakers will need to help them the most in this series because of the big guys on the Jazz. He didn’t play up to his ability against the Thunder and the Lakers can’t afford a repeat against the Jazz. Odom played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown will backup at the guard slots and give Kobe and Derek Fisher a break once in a while.

The Jazz will also likely only be going 8 deep in this series. Paul Millsap will get starter minutes off the bench most likely at center. He is a force to be reckoned with as he was dominant against the Nuggets despite going against bigger players. Millsap played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocked shots per game. SF Kyle Korver will provide instant offense off the bench with his shooting. Ronnie Price will give Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews a break once in a while.

EDGE: JAZZ

COACH: Phil Jackson has his kind of team once again this season. Here is a guy who has always excelled with a All-Star type of team but not so much when Michael Jordan retired. Still, the “Zen Master” is excellent at keeping his team motivated so look for them to come to play in every game of this series. The Lakers are 102-52 (66.2%) under Jackson in the post season.

Jerry Sloan is one of the most underrated coaches in NBA history. He often gets his team to step up when playing big games. That is what this whole series is going to be. The Jazz are 96-96 (50%) under Sloan in the post-season.

EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: If Mehmet Okur wasn’t injured I might pick the upset in this series. But, I have a feeling that the Lakers’ big men will rise to the challenge that the Jazz present. With that in mind I’m going to take the Lakers in six games.

The Jazz took care of business last night as they shot 52.2% from the floor to help them put the Nuggets away. Wesley Matthews led the way for the Jazz last night with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Carlos Boozer was outstanding near the basket last night as he finished up with 22 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists. Paul Millsap was super off the bench again with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks last night. Deron Williams did a great job of running the offense for the Jazz last night as he finished up with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 10 assists. Ronnie Price (12 points) and Kyle Korver (10 points) pitched in offensively off the bench for the Jazz in this game. The Jazz dump the Nuggets 4-2 in this series and they now have a date with the Lakers starting tomorrow in L.A.

The Jazz shot 53.2% from the floor last night and it helped them to another solid win over the Nuggets. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz in this game with 31 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. Deron Williams also had a solid game with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 13 assists in this game. C.J. Miles pitched in with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in this game. Wesley Matthews (18 points) and Paul Millsap (12 points) also helped out offensively for the Jazz in this game. The Jazz are now up 3-1 in this series.

The Jazz rushed out to a 84-68 after three quarters and they made it stand up. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals in this game. Paul Millsap was a absolute beast in this game with 22 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Carlos Boozer pitched in with 18 points and 8 rebounds while Wesley Matthews helped out with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The Jazz are now up 2-1 in this series.

Deron Williams has been abusing Chauncey Billups and the Denver Nuggets in this series. In his two games so far, Williams is averaging 42.5 minutes, 29.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting 51.7% from the floor and 50% from behind the three point line so far! Williams just seems to big for Billups to handle and the Jazz will be sure to keep exploiting that in this series.