**Lakers at Jazz**

**Lakers at Jazz**

--We have a series all of a sudden in the 1/8 matchup out West. This somewhat surprising turn of events has L.A. fans hungry for a Game 4 win. Meanwhile, Jazz enthusiasts are doing their best Gary Busey imitation (from the movie Point Break) by thinking “Utah, get me two (meat-ball sandwiches).”

--Jerry Sloan’s team will attempt to even the series in Game 4 in Salt Lake City on Saturday night at 9:05 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

--LVSC opened Los Angeles (67-18 SU, 44-41 ATS) as a 3 ½-point favorite with a total of 211. As of Friday night, most spots had L.A. as a four-point ‘chalk’ with the total adjusted to 209 ½. The Jazz are plus-165 on the money line.

--Utah (49-36 SU, 41-44 ATS) captured an 88-86 home win in Game 3 thanks to Deron Williams’ game-winning jumper with 2.2 second remaining. Williams had struggled all night, scoring just 13 points and missing five free throws, but he came through at winning time. On the flip side, Kobe Bryant was a brick-laying machine all night long. Bryant missed a potential game winner by hitting lots of backboard and barely grazing the rim. He was 5-for-24 for the game.

--Carlos Boozer answered Sloan’s call to play nasty, producing a double-double with 23 points and 22 rebounds, including a sick left-handed dunk over Pau Gasol on a crucial possession at crunch time. Matt Harpring was huge off the bench, making 5-of-8 shots (mostly in the fourth quarter) for 11 points. Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and should get most of the credit for Bryant’s abysmal performance thanks to a tenacious defensive effort.

--Utah has lost by double-digit margins at L.A. four times this season. However, the Jazz have won both meetings in Salt Lake City. They are 2-1 both SU and ATS as home underdogs.

--Utah owns a 34-8 SU record and a 23-19 spread mark at home. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 29-13 SU and 23-19 ATS on the road.

--The 'over' is 8-1 in the last nine head-to-head meetings between these squads.

--The ‘over’ is 44-40-1 overall for Utah, but the ‘under’ is 24-18 in its home games.

--The ‘over’ is also 44-40-1 overall for L.A., but the ‘under’ is 21-20-1 in its road assignments.