LOS ANGELES – After finishing three games in roughly 56 hours with their best effort yet, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers demonstrated why their demise might not be as imminent as many thought.
Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers avoided just the fourth 0-3 start in franchise history with a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Metta World Peace scored 14 points for the Lakers, who had much more life than the Jazz despite playing their third game in three nights to open the season. Los Angeles ran away with a dominant third quarter, making a 27-8 surge out of halftime in the club’s first win for coach Mike Brown.
After a tumultuous preseason under a new coaching staff, several injuries and the NBA’s only three-games-in-three-nights start, the Lakers realize they’re still lacking a consistent identity and a thorough knowledge of Brown’s game plan. At least a blowout win over the Jazz allowed them to enjoy their first day off since training camp began.
“We’re a very active team,” Bryant said. “This is a blue-collar team. We’re a scrappy bunch. You saw that. We’re going to fight and scratch and
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