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LOS ANGELES -- At the end of Tuesday night's Game 2 meeting between the Jazz and Lakers, Utah's outsized lineup was outdone on the boards by a massive 18 rebounds. Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap pulled down 12 and 11, respectively, on their way to individual double-double performances, but as Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum combined to tally 44 boards, the Jazz remained at a deep disadvantage, dropping to 0-2 in the series with a 111-103 loss.
Indicators of Utah's need to do something to change up their game after two quarters of play at the Staples Center included a 12-point deficit, collecting more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds, shooting just 34.7 percent, and the fact that Millsap as their only man in double figures.
If the Jazz wanted to give themselves any real possibility to get back in the game and come away with an upsetting Game 2 victory in Los Angeles, they were going to have to do a better job of keeping the Lakers off the glass and find a way to get into a steady and efficient offensive rhythm that included some serious production from their starting lineup.
Unfortunately for the Jazz, they never got all the way there.
All but one starter managed to fight their way over the 10-point mark by the end of the game as the Jazz chipped away at the Lakers' lead in the fourth quarter, and Utah increased their overall shooting percentage with an improved third quarter effort, but the Jazz couldn't do anything to keep their long opponents away from the backboards.
Similar to the fourth quarter scenario of Sunday's Game 1, just as the Jazz got themselves back in a potential game-winning position Tuesday, the Lakers turned the tide and reclaimed the momentum on their home court with huge offensive rebounds. One particular L.A. possession late in the fourth quarter saw the Lakers grab three of their own misses before returning the ball to the Jazz on the baseline inbounds.
Unable to slow the Lakers' big men, the 28 points the Jazz tallied on 20 Los Angeles turnovers weren't enough to get them the win, and neither was the unstoppable fight the Jazz received from Millsap, C.J. Miles and Wesley Matthews.
In a post-game interview on TNT, Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan said that since there's nothing his team can do to change their size disadvantage by Game 3, the Jazz will have to focus on maintaining their offensive strength and consistency in order to start evening the series.
"That's life," Sloan said of Utah's size. "(The Lakers) do a great job defensively. We had about four or five possessions at one time where we executed pretty well and had decent shots, and then all of a sudden, we'd get out of it."
The Jazz will host the Lakers in Game 3 Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
