LA Lakers jazz it up over Utah

The Los Angeles Lakers made a fantastic start to the defence of their Western Conference title on Sunday, racing to a 22-point first-half lead on the way to a 113-100 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Kobe Bryant scored 24 points and forward Trevor Ariza added a career playoff-high 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who got 20 points from Pau Gasol in taking the opener of the best-of-seven quarter-final series.

In Eastern Conference action, the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers surprised Orlando Magic 100-98 on Andre Iguodala’s field goal with two seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks soared past Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat 90-64.

Philadelphia erased an 18-point deficit to shock the Magic in their Eastern Conference opener.  Iguodala had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Louis Williams scored 18 as Philadelphia beat Orlando for the first time in four attempts this season. Hedo Turkoglu tried to win it at the buzzer for Orlando, but his three-point attempt missed. 

In Los Angeles, Bryant and Ariza each scored 12 points in a 62-point first half and although Utah closed within nine late in the third, the visitors could not get any closer. 

“They (Utah) did a good job hanging in there,” Bryant told reporters. “That’s what Utah does. They scrap, claw, they got a lot of free throws that kept them in the game, but we were able to keep the cushion.”

Bryant, who dished out four of his eight assists in the first quarter, was especially pleased with the play of Ariza.