Ariza likes view this year

Andrew Bynum wasn’t the only member of the Lakers reduced to a spectator last season.

Trevor Ariza practically was too.

A broken foot kept him out of the first two playoff rounds, and he was mainly an afterthought in the Western Conference finals (10 minutes) and NBA Finals (13 points in 35 minutes).

Ariza, however, wasn’t a no-show Sunday against Utah.

He had 21 points, his playoff career high, on eight-for-10 shooting, including three for four from three-point range, in the Lakers’ 113-100 victory in their playoff opener.

His 10-point first quarter pushed the Lakers to an 11-point lead, and the Jazz never quite recovered.

Nor did Utah seem to think he could connect from long range, leaving him alone outside the arc time after time.

Ariza wasn’t surprised.

“I haven’t proven anything,” he said. “I haven’t played in the playoffs. If they’re going to leave me open, I’m going to keep shooting. I know that.”

Ariza’s impact wasn’t limited to offense. He helped make Utah sharpshooter Kyle Korver a non-factor, holding him to seven points on two-for-six shooting in 33 minutes.

Kobe Bryant, who hugged Ariza and tapped him on the head playfully while they waited to do a live TV interview immediately after the game, had kind words a little later, saying it “helps tremendously” to have a healthy Ariza this postseason.

“Today everybody will notice his three-point shooting, but little things like chasing guys and not giving them easy looks is huge for us,” Bryant said.

Reserve power

Shannon Brown came into Sunday’s game with only one second of playoff experience on his pro portfolio.

He looked like a seasoned veteran after being thrust into the game when Derek Fisher picked up a second foul with 9:25 left in the first quarter.

Brown, 23, continued his late-season push with six points and two assists in the first quarter. He finished with nine points and three assists in 21 1/2 minutes against the Jazz.

He made all three of his three-point attempts, including one in the first quarter after Bryant found him open.

“He’s in the gym early, he’s working on his shot,” Bryant said. “When I see that, it makes it easier for me to trust him in a game situation.”

In one sequence, Brown stole the ball from Utah point guard Deron Williams and fed Pau Gasol at the other end for a fastbreak layup.

Brown was also in the right place for a rebound of Ariza’s miss on a fastbreak layup. Brown fed him again for a dunk for a 57-38 Lakers lead with 1:15 left in the second quarter.

Brown, then a rookie, played one second for Cleveland in Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals against San Antonio.

Etc.

Reserve guard Jordan Farmar played despite sharp pain in his right foot that the team said was tendinitis. He went scoreless with one assist and one turnover in almost four minutes. . . . With 24 points Sunday, Bryant passed Magic Johnson as the third-highest scorer in franchise playoff history. Bryant’s 3,710 points in the playoffs trail only Jerry West (4,457 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4,070) on the Lakers’ list. Bryant is ninth in league playoff history.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com