Lakers Can’t Handle the Jazz

The TV in the locker room was tuned to the Miami-New Jersey game, and Kobe Bryant couldn’t have been any less interested.

Taking a cursory glance at the set, Bryant weighed his options and found the trainer’s table to be of greater importance before the Laker game against the Utah Jazz. Ankles, after all, needed to be taped.

But what took place on the screen -- the Heat winning handily in Shaquille O’Neal’s debut -- was only the first part of a forgettable night for the Lakers, who flopped against Utah, 104-78, Wednesday in front of 19,911 at Delta Center.

A day after leading from start to finish against Denver, the Lakers trailed from beginning to the bitter end, crushed statistically in nearly every category and setting a team-record low in three offensive categories.

The fastbreak that worked so well against the Nuggets was practically nonexistent against Utah.

Bryant, revered by Laker fans Tuesday night, was booed every time he touched the ball Wednesday on the way to 38 points on nine-for-21 shooting.

Chris Mihm, who made Laker fans forget about O’Neal for a night, went from a career-high 23 points to six.

There were other, less digestible events. The Lakers shot only 29.4%, had only seven assists and made only 20 field goals, all team-record lows.

They had 28 points at halftime, only three better than the franchise low for a half. They trailed by 25 in the third quarter.

Even more telling, they were pushed around by burly Carlos Boozer and lanky Andrei Kirilenko, who helped the Jazz tie a team record with nine blocked shots in the first half.

It was neither pretty nor poetic for the Lakers, one of those games where O’Neal could have helped down low, Rick Fox and Derek Fisher could have helped with their soothing exteriors, and Karl Malone could have been a difference-maker in front of a familiar crowd where he spent 18 seasons.

Instead, the Lakers sputtered in their first road test. Forty more are on the way between now and the end of April, but ...

“We ran into a buzz saw,” Laker Coach Rudy Tomjanovich. “Coming in on their opening night, all their emotions flowing, after an emotional win for our team. These are things that can happen in this league. Very disappointed.”

The Lakers were a respectful 10-9 last season on the second night of consecutive games, a key measuring index for teams with playoff visions.

“Back-to-back games are tough to win, especially in a place like Utah,” said forward Lamar Odom. “You’ve got to hope for a winning record in these games.”

The euphoria of dispatching Denver, a team of the future in the Western Conference, was displaced by yet another team among a steadily growing number expected to challenge the Lakers for a playoff spot.

Well before the night went awry, it looked as if the Lakers would catch the Jazz at a good time. Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo, an up-and-comer who had a stellar run for Puerto Rico in the Olympics, sat out because of a sprained ankle.

But Arroyo’s replacement, Keith McLeod, who spent most of last season playing for the Gary (Ind.) Steelheads of the CBA, had a game-high eight assists Wednesday.

The Laker point guards, Chucky Atkins and Tierre Brown, combined for three points.

The Lakers had never made fewer than 23 field goals, had fewer than eight assists or shot lower than 30.2%.

It won’t get any easier for the Lakers, who play San Antonio on Friday at Staples Center.