Utah dance to Kobe’s Jazz

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Utah Jazz 107-96 to win their opening round National Basketball Association playoff series in five games.

Bryant, who was sporting a bruise on the right side of his face after the game, helped set the tone with a number of stunning jump shots and three pointers.

“It is playoff basketball,” Bryant said. “Anytime you are dealing with an elimination game the intensity gets raised.”

Lamar Odom had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who earned several days of rest before meeting the winner of the Portland-Houston series. The Lakers didn’t want to have to go back to Salt Lake City, the site of their game three collapse and their game four bounceback.

“I think we had a first-round opponent that was much tougher this year than we did last year,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I’m not discounting the present Denver team when I talk about last year’s Denver team, but we were able to kind of do what we wanted to do with them and were able to sweep them 4-0.

“I think it will prep us for what we have to do as we go along. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”

It was a disappointing end for a Jazz team that had high expectations. “Injuries kind of affected us and we really weren't able to ever get into a rhythm,” Utah's Deron Williams said. “We kind of headed downhill toward the playoffs and we just really didn't get the type of effort we needed to win a series.”