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SALT LAKE CITY -- Youth was on the menu at the Staples Center on Sunday as the Utah Jazz, who got career-best performances from rookies Alec Burks and Enes Kanter, beat the Lakers in Los Angeles 103-99.
Burks and Kanter scored 17 points apiece. Burks scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Kanter added eight rebounds. Second-year center Derrick Favors, who started in place of Al Jefferson, added 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Jazz got a team high 24 points from Old Man Paul Millsap, who also hauled in nine boards.
For the Jazz, Sunday’s road victory over the Lakers was impactful. The Jazz, who rarely win on the road, won. They beat a team they don’t often beat, and they did it in message-sending fashion by shutting down the NBA’s leading scorer, Kobe Bryant, who shot 3-of-20 from the floor and finished with 15 points, 14 points below his season average.
Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin was elated with his team’s performance.
"This group of guys never ceases to amaze you with the effort and the focus they come out with," Corbin said to the Deseret News. "They just continue to impress with what they can do together if they stay focused and stay together as a group. This is a huge win for us."
Sunday’s win moves the Jazz above .500 for the first time since January. Utah is now tied for ninth place in the Western Conference, just half a game behind No. 8 seed Houston. The Jazz also kept their own win streak alive, winning for the third time in as many games while snapping the Lakers' five-game streak.
“It’s big for our team, big in our development and big in our growth,” Millsap told the Associated Press. “We just continue to push forward. I’m so proud of our young guys. They stepped up big for us. They came into a hostile environment and showed what we were capable of doing.”
Even bigger for the Jazz (23-22) would be beating tonight’s opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the best record in the Western Conference at 34-11.
The Jazz and Thunder have played twice this season, with OKC winning both meetings. The Thunder beat the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Feb 10, 101-87, and then again in Oklahoma City four days later, 111-85.
The Jazz will be without an injured Raja Bell again and CJ Miles has been tabbed to start in his place. Guard Earl Watson is a game-time decision and the Jazz announced Tuesday afternoon that forward Josh Howard will have surgery on his knee and will likely miss the rest of the season. Howard had an MRI on Monday, which revealed a chip in the lateral femoral cartilage of his left knee.
Kevin Durant leads the Thunder in scoring at 27.7 points per game, followed by point guard Russell Westbrook at 24.4 points per contest.
The All-Star duo of Durant and Westbrook leads a team of young and talented players. Thunder sixth man James Harden averages 17.7 points per game, and Serge Ibaka averages 3.3 blocks per game.
The Jazz are 17-6 at home while the Thunder are 15-7 on the road this season. The Jazz have lost five straight times to the Thunder, dating back to last season.
The Thunder have struggled recently, losing three of their last six games with losses against Cleveland, Houston and San Antonio.
The game takes place at 7 p.m. at EnergySolutions Arena and will be televised on Root Sports.
Jarrod Hiatt is a freelance writer who writes Jazz previews for KSL.com. You can follow him on Twitter @jarrodhiatt.
