Lakers Vs. Jazz: Mike Brown Ejected In Loss To Utah

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown has been suspended for tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to a tweet by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. And according to a tweet from NBAPR, Brown will also be fined $25,000 for making contact with an official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner.

Brown was ejected from the Lakers' 96-87 loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Brown received two quick technical fouls for charging towards official Zach Zarba after Jazz guard Earl Watson stole the ball from Pau Gasol at the top of the key amid plenty of contact. No foul was called and it led to a Derrick Favors dunk. Brown's ejection came with 8:34 remaining in the game.

"I was trying to give our guys some juice. I got techs. I shouldn't have got two techs," said Brown after the game. "I put our guys in a deeper hole than we were already in and that probably cost the game."

The Lakers are currently tied for sixth place in the Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a productive week, winning three straight games before having their momentum halted in Saturday night's 96-87 loss to the Utah Jazz. The loss prevented the Lakers from moving into the top half of the standings in the Western Conference, instead dropping them into a tie for sixth place in a tightly-packed West with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Los Angeles Clippers continued their stellar play and sit atop the Pacific Division and hold the second seed in the West.

The Lakers continue their road trip Monday night in Philadelphia.

For more news and information on the Lakers, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Tony Parker went off on Saturday night, scoring a season-high 42 points and dishing out nine assists, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 107-96 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The win was the fourth straight victory for the Spurs, who improved to 13-1 at home on the season.

The loss was the second road loss in a week for the Thunder, who lost games to their two closest competitors in San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers. Oklahoma City fell in Los Angeles on Monday 112-100. Kevin Durant had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who still own a three-game advantage over both the Spurs and Clippers. The path is still clear for Oklahoma City for the top seed in the Western Conference.

In other Western Conference games on Saturday night...

Portland Trail Blazers 117, Denver Nuggets 97: Marcus Camby grabbed 20 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge put up 29 points and nine rebounds as Portland picked up a home win over a Denver team playing its third game in as many nights.

Minnesota Timberwolves 100, Houston Rockets 91: Kevin Love had 25 points and 18 rebounds as the T-Wolves reached .500 for the first time all season.

Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Dallas Mavericks 88: Dirk Nowtizki scored 24 points and nabbed eight rebounds but the Mavericks dropped their third straight contest. The defending NBA champs are 14-11.

The Utah Jazz opened the fourth quarter with a 16-1 run to defeat an angry Los Angeles Lakers team 96-87. Saturday night at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. Down 15 points with six minutes remaining in the game, Kobe Bryant tried to mount a furious comeback, but the Lakers fell short in the second game of a six-game road trip.

The Lakers fell to 3-8 on the road this season.

Earl Watson stole the ball from Pau Gasol and passed ahead to Derrick Favors for a fast break slam dunk to give the Jazz a 74-68 with 8:37 remaining. Lakers head coach Mike Brown, upset that a foul wasn't called on Watson, went ballistic on the sideline and bumped referee Zach Zarba, which earned Brown an immediate ejection.

Less than two minutes later, Matt Barnes picked up another technical foul to exacerbate the situation. The subsequent free throw gave the Jazz a 12-point lead, then Watson followed it up with a three-pointer to complete the 16-1 run that gave Utah a 15-point advantage.

Bryant hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions and followed that by getting fouled on a three-point shot and making all three free throws as the Lakers (14-10) cut the lead to six points, but they never got any closer. Bryant finished with 26 points on the night to lead the Lakers.

Pau Gasol scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot just 38.7% from the field. The Lakers shot 27.8% (10 for 36) in the second half. Andrew Bynum had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, making this the second game this season that all three players scored 20 points for the Lakers.

Al Jefferson had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Paul Millsap added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz (13-9). The Lakers travel next to Philadelphia, where they will battle the 76ers on Monday night.

For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

The Los Angeles Lakers rode their big three in the first half Saturday night, and lead the Utah Jazz 49-47 at halftime at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The Lakers have won both previous matchups this season with the Jazz.

Pau Gasol scored 14 points and had seven rebounds in the first half to lead the Lakers, who shot 48.7% (19 for 39). Kobe Bryant added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Andrew Bynum scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Lakers, as Bryant, Gasol, and Bynum combined for 40 of the Lakers' 49 points in the first half.

There were four lead changes in the final four minutes of the second quarter.

Al Jefferson scored 10 points and had five rebounds in the first half for Utah, who shot 45.5% (20 for 44) in the first half. Paul Millsap had eight points and seven rebounds, as the Jazz had five players score at least six points in the first half.

For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

The Los Angeles Lakers look for their fourth straight victory on Saturday night, facing the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The Lakers are on their second night of back-to-back games, and are facing a Utah team getting reinforcements at guard.

Devin Harris and Raja Bell are both returning to the starting lineup Saturday night. Harris missed one game with a strained left hamstring, and Bell missed the last three games with a strained right adductor muscle. Reserve guard Earl Watson, dealing with a sprained left ankle, is expected to play as well. Here are the starting lineups:

Lakers (14-9)

Point Guard: Derek Fisher

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

Small Forward: Metta World Peace

Power Forward: Pau Gasol

Center: Andrew Bynum

Jazz (12-9)

Point Guard: Devin Harris

Shooting Guard: Raja Bell

Small Forward: Gordon Hayward

Power Forward: Paul Millsap

Center: Al Jefferson

For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

The Los Angeles Lakers look for their fourth straight win Saturday night, facing the Utah Jazz in the second game of a six-game road trip at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. Here are the relevant details of Saturday night's game:

Records: Lakers (14-9); Jazz (12-9)

Location: Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City

Time: 6 p.m. PST

TV: KCAL, with Bill Macdonald and Stu Lantz on the call

Offensive Efficiency: Utah, 105.2 points per 100 possessions (ninth in NBA); Lakers, 103.7 (15th)

Defensive Efficiency: Lakers, 100.4 (10th); Utah, 105.1 (22nd)

Home vs. Road: Lakers are 3-7 on the road but have won their last two games away from home; the Jazz are 10-4 at home this season.

Series History: The Lakers have beaten the Jazz in both of their previous matchups this season, one win on the home and one on the road. The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 regular season games in Utah, and have won their last two contests in Salt Lake City.

For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

The Los Angeles Lakers seek their third win in as many games against the Utah Jazz this season, facing them Saturday night in Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The Jazz have lost two straight games and have three different guards nursing injuries. However, starting point guard Devin Harris plans to play against the Lakers.

Harris has a strained left hamstring that kept him out of Thursday's game at Golden State, and is listed by Utah as a game-time decision on Saturday night, but the point guard, averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 assists this season, has an idea what the decision will be.

"It feels pretty good. I went through a hard workout [Friday]. I went through a hard shootaround today, so everything feels good," Harris told Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday morning. "All expected, nothing crazy happens, I'll play tonight."

Raja Bell, who is usually assigned to guard Kobe Bryant, has missed three straight games with a strained right adductor muscle. Bell is listed as a game-time decision. Earl Watson missed Thursday's game with a sprained left ankle and is listed as doubtful but, per Smith, Watson plans to play if he doesn't experience any pain during pregame warmups.

Saturday night's 6 p.m. PST game will be televised by KCAL. For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

Kobe Bryant had a record-setting weekend last weekend, breaking Los Angeles Lakers franchise records for free throws made and field goals made in Milwaukee and Minnesota, respectively. With a monster game Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, Kobe could reach another milestone on Saturday night.

Bryant, the leading scorer in the NBA this season at 29.5 points per game, has scored 28,547 points in his career, and needs 50 points to surpass Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA all-time scoring list.

Bryant has scored 40 or more points four times this season, including 40 points in an overtime win at Utah on January 11. Kobe's season high in points is 48, scored on January 10 in a home win over the Phoenix Suns. He has scored 50 or more points 24 times in his career, but the last time it happened was three years ago, a 61-point effort at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

Saturday night's 6 p.m. PST game will be televised by KCAL. For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.