Lakers Match Franchise Record 6th Straight Home Loss With 96-79 Defeat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reserve Alec Burks scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz sent the injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers to a franchise record-tying sixth straight home loss, 96-79 on Tuesday night.
Gordon Hayward scored 15 points and reserve Jeremy Evans had 14 for Utah, which enjoyed a 55-40 rebounding edge. Derrick Favors had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Chris Kaman had 25 points and 14 boards for the Lakers, who have dropped nine of 11 overall and 21 of 26 since Dec. 21. The loss to Utah put Los Angeles in 14th place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Jazz and a game ahead of last-place Sacramento.
Undermined all season by a run of injuries, the Lakers likely will miss the postseason for only the fifth time since the franchise relocated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960-61.
Five of their top six scorers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry -- are still on the shelf. The only one from that group who played Tuesday was newcomer Kendall Marshall, who had seven points and seven assists.
Marshall had 20 points and 15 assists against the Jazz on Jan. 3 -- the last time the Lakers won a game at Staples Center. That was the first of his 15 starts at point guard before Steve Nash's return to the starting lineup on Sunday.
The 40-year-old Nash made a quick recovery from Sunday's loss to Chicago, which he left in the third quarter after getting hit in the his left leg -- the same one that was fractured last season.
The two-time MVP, who missed 39 games with a nerve problem in his back before returning to the lineup last week, played 16 1/2 minutes against the Jazz.
Coach Mike D'Antoni used his 26th different starting lineup, with Kaman replacing Robert Sacre at center and Shawne Williams at power forward instead of Ryan Kelly. Kaman made 11 of 24 shots after scoring 27 points Sunday against the Bulls. Williams, who signed a 10-day contract last Thursday after getting waived on Jan. 7, had 11 points in 37 minutes.
The Lakers' first four baskets of the night came on 3-pointers, but they didn't make another one the rest of the way and finished 4 for 16 behind the arc.
Coming off a victory over two-time defending champion Miami on Saturday, the Jazz rallied from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to lead 48-37 at halftime as Los Angeles shot 4 for 18 in the second period.
After giving up the game's first seven points, Los Angeles went on a 25-4 run fueled by Kaman's eight points and seven rebounds. But the Lakers couldn't sustain the momentum with only nine healthy players at D'Antoni's disposal, and the Jazz went back in front 32-30 on a driving layup by Hayward with 4:20 left in the second quarter.
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