Kobe sings the blues with 52 points against Utah

Dec 1, 2006, 6:55 GMT

Los Angeles, CA - Kobe Bryant totaled 52 points, including 30 in the third quarter to tie a franchise mark, as the Los Angeles Lakers routed the Utah Jazz, 132-102, at the Staples Center.

Bryant, who connected on 19-of-26 shots from the floor, equaled the team record for points in a quarter that he set against Dallas on December 20, 2005. He was perfect in the third, shooting 9-of-9 from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line.

'It's great to watch Kobe have a great night,' said Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. 'You could tell he had the momentum going in the first half. When Jerry took his starters out, it was time to take Kobe out.'

Maurice Evans netted 17 while Lamar Odom had 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who have won two of their last three and six of their last eight contests. Luke Walton added 10 points in the win.

Carlos Boozer chipped in 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Paul Millsap and Deron Williams scored 13 apiece for Utah, which has lost three of its last four games. Millsap also pulled down seven boards while Williams dished out nine assists.

'When a player gets on a roll there's nothing you can do, and he was on a high tonight,' said Utah head coach Jerry Sloan. 'We were in such a hurry to shoot, we never got into our offense.'

The Lakers closed the opening quarter by scoring eight of the last 10 points, including the final four from Evans, to take a 29-27 edge into the second quarter.

Millsap's three-point play gave the Jazz a 34-31 margin, but from there they went cold and Los Angeles capitalized with a 22-7 run to close the half.

A pair of Ronny Turiaf free throws gave the Lakers the lead, 36-34, before Bryant took over. He tallied 10 of the final 17 Los Angeles points, highlighted by his emphatic slam with the clock running down, giving the Lakers a 53-41 halftime margin. LA outscored Utah 24-14 in the period.

Bryant's hot hand continued in the third, scoring nine of the Lakers first 11 points in the frame, as the Los Angeles lead ballooned to 64-51.

The Lakers then went on a 20-10 burst. Bryant was on fire and was in the middle of a stretch where he connected on 11 straight field goals, the final of which was a three-pointer that gave him 45 points with under three minutes to play in the third stanza.

Odom's trey as time expired extended the advantage to 95-73.

The Jazz couldn't make a contest of it in the final frame and never got closer than 18.

Game Notes

This is Bryant's first 50-point game since April 14, 2006 against Portland. It marked his 12th career 50-point game.

San Antonio's George Gervin scored the most points in a quarter in NBA history with 33 against New Orleans on April 9, 1978.

The Lakers shot 60 percent from the floor while the Jazz connected on 47 percent of their shots from the field.

LA won the rebounding battle 43-34.

The Jazz scored 32 points in the third quarter compared to Bryant's 30.

© 2006 The Sports Network