Lakers back in control

It tugged at Kobe Bryant, burning him to no end, a five-for-24 effort that was his worst shooting game in five years.

So he lighted up a postgame cigar to chase away his bad luck, and you could practically still see the smoke rings two nights later.

Bryant delivered 38 points and an apparent knockout blow to the Utah Jazz, making 16 of 24 shots in a 108-94 victory Saturday at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series, 3-1, and have history firmly on their side. Only eight NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. Game 5 is Monday at Staples Center.

Andrew Bynum was relegated to the bench, Lamar Odom returned to the starting lineup, and the Lakers managed to hang on to a comfortable lead for the first time in the series.

But the story was Bryant, who misfired badly in Game 3 and was more passer than scorer in Games 1 and 2.

“It was important for me to come out and be a little bit more assertive,” he said. “I’ve been sitting back maybe a little bit too much. As a result, we’ve been losing probably our deadliest feature in our offense, which is my scoring.”

As for the cigar, which he enjoyed at the team hotel after the Lakers’ 88-86 loss Thursday night?

“Light it up, blow it out, relaxation,” he said.

Utah was left, uh, smoldering in Game 4.

Bryant scored the Lakers’ first 11 points and 13 of their first 15, and had 24 by halftime on 10-for-13 shooting as the Lakers built a 60-53 edge.

He followed it up with a six-for-11 effort in the second half, beating the Jazz with a variety of jump shots.

“Kobe Bryant was just spectacular,” Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan said. “We couldn’t get close enough to guard him, really. He just shot through us, over us, whatever it took. . . . I think he just put them on his back, got them off to the way they wanted to play.”

A 20-2 run by the Lakers in the second quarter turned a seven-point deficit into a lead they never gave up. Jazz fans began heading for the exits with 4:45 left and Utah trailing 105-84.

“Gotta beat traffic,” a Lakers fan yelled out mockingly, if somewhat ironically.

A few minutes later, there was a more triumphant walk, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak heading down to the locker room from his seat in the eighth row, a game program rolled up in his right hand.

The Lakers were 2-10 all-time in playoff games at Utah. Now they’re a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals to play either Portland or Houston.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur finally played after sitting out the first three games because of a hamstring injury, but he went scoreless on three missed shots in eight minutes.

He wasn’t the only center who struggled. Bynum came off the bench and scored only two points in seven minutes. He had one rebound, two fouls and two turnovers.

“How he’s been playing, I think it might be better for him to come off the bench in this situation,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

Odom had 10 points, 15 rebounds and six assists as a starter. The Lakers also received a boost from reserves Shannon Brown (10 points), Luke Walton (nine points) and Sasha Vujacic (nine points).

The Lakers saw a 22-point lead cut to nine in Game 1 and a 20-point lead cut to three in Game 2. Then came a two-point loss in Game 3 after holding a 13-point edge in the third quarter.

In Game 4, the Lakers led at the end of the third quarter, 88-69, and made it stand up.

Bryant’s efficient shoot-first mind-set had given them plenty of cushion. It wasn’t wasted.

“I think it makes it easier for them to gain confidence in a hostile environment,” he said of his teammates. “I kind of was sensing that the team wanted me to get it going a little bit. I think they’ve been feeling that I probably was sitting back a little too much too.”

The Lakers return to Staples Center, where they have won 12 of their last 13 playoff games.

“We’re happy that we got this one,” Jackson said, “And we want to finish it off in the next one.”

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com