Lakers Jazz Game 2 Predictions
Written April 21, 2009 by Jason Lowry
It wasn’t pretty in Game 1 for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they let the Jazz storm back into the game after cruising to a 20 point half time lead. The Lakers still won the game 113-100, but they could have easily won this game by 30 points. For the Lakers a win is a win, but if this team wants to get out of the West and meet up with LeBron and the Cavs in the Finals, this team has to play better than it did on Sunday. The Lakers got 28 points from Kobe Bryant, 20 from Pau Gasol, and another 21 from Trevor Ariza. Bynum didn’t look anywhere as good as he did against the Jazz a week ago when he scored 22 points in 30 minutes. In game 1 Bynum had just 7 points in only 20 minutes of play, as he spent a lot of time on the bench because of foul troubles. For the Jazz Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer both played very well, as Williams scored 16 points to go along with 17 assists and Boozer led the Jazz with 27 points and 9 rebounds. It will be interesting to see which Lakers team shows up in this one, the one that played the first or second half. Here is a look at what I think each team has to do to win game 2 this Tuesday and my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Lakers have to do to win: The Lakers have to play 48 minutes of basketball at the top of their game, as it will do no good for this team to get in a pattern of letting teams get back in the game when they could be pulling away with an easy win. The Lakers will need Bynum to stay on the floor and make an impact on this game. The Lakers had to be happy with the play of Shannon Brown off the bench, but the Lakers need a better outing out of both Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton, as Vujacic was shut out and Walton scored just 6 points. Expect Gasol and Bryant to both play well in this one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Bryant doesn’t take over this game, and remind the Jazz who the No.1 seed is and that there chances of winning this series is about as good as winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning in the same day. Bet Lakers -11.5 to win at Sportsbook.com.
What the Jazz have to do to win: The Jazz need to build off their performance at the end of game 1, and come into this game knowing they can beat the Lakers. Both Williams and Boozer need to have games near or better than they had in game 1, and somebody else in the starting lineup needs to show up. Kyle Corver and Jarron Collins scored just 7 points, while Ronnie Brewer scored just 6. The Jazz really missed the presence of Mehmet Okur in game 1, and this team could really use this guy against all the size the Lakers have down low. It seems as though Okur is a game time decision, and that doesn’t sound good, as even if he goes, its unlikely he will be 100%. The Jazz did get good bench play, including 15 from Paul Millsap, and the Jazz as a team outscored the Lakers 37-32 in bench play, but if the Jazz want to win this game they have to get more out of someone not named Williams and Boozer in the starting lineup. Bet Jazz +11.5 to win at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Lakers -11.5 at Sportsbook.com. I think the Lakers let the Jazz know they have no chance in this one, and I expect to see the Lakers dominate this game from start to finish. If you really think about it the Lakers beat the Jazz by 13 points in game, and Bynum barely played. I expect Bynum to stay out of foul trouble in this one, and the Lakers will head to Utah up 2-0.
For those of you looking to do a little NBA betting this postseason, check out our expert NBA picks and NBA odds for all the games at Betfirms.
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