Utah Jazz notebook: Lakers could be without Kobe

LOS ANGELES — If Kobe Bryant doesn't play tonight, and as of Tuesday night it was uncertain whether or not he would, it wouldn't be the first time the Jazz have faced a Western Conference playoff contender missing an All Star-caliber player.

Or two.

There's been San Antonio with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Portland (twice) without Brandon Roy and Denver — also twice — without Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

It won't be the first time, either, that there was uncertainty over whether or not the star would go.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, though, doesn't want any of that from keeping his club from losing focus on tonight's task at hand — a visit from the defending NBA-champion Los Angeles Lakers, who may or may not have Bryant because of a sprained left ankle that's kept him out of L.A.'s last two games, wins at Portland and over San Antonio.

"We've got to do what we've got to do," said Sloan, whose Jazz visited the Los Angeles Clippers in a late-starting game Tuesday and host the Lakers tonight in their final outing before their NBA All-Star break.

"Just because Kobe or somebody is not there," he added, "hopefully you don't lay down and say, 'Well, we can win this game.' "

The Lakers also are expected to be without usual starting center Andrew Bynum tonight because of a bruised right hip that kept him out of Monday's win over the Spurs.

Not that Sloan thinks all the doubt should adversely impact the Jazz, even if Bryant, Bynum and Odom all were to sit.

"You've got to prepare to play, obviously, I think is the biggest thing," he said. "And you've got to know their team. If you've been in the league for two weeks, you ought to know their team."

KAMAN OVER BOOZER: If he wasn't tapped to replace Roy for Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Texas, the Jazz's Carlos Boozer figured Golden State guard Monta Ellis would be.

"Because he's scored so many points," Boozer said of Ellis, who at 26.2 per game is the league's highest scorer who's not an All-Star. "He scores a lot. And he's a guard. But he scores a lot."

Instead, NBA commissioner David Stern picked Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman.

Boozer, already a two-time All-Star, considers the choice from "left field."

"But I agree that Chris Kaman is well-deserving to be an All-Star," Utah's power forward said. "He's played great for his team. They're not in the playoffs and what have you. They don't have the same winning (percentage) as we do. But individually he's a handful."

Boozer does feel greater consideration should be given to team success when it comes to All-Star picks, though.

"Winning should outweigh everything else," he said. "I always think All-Stars are guys that help their team get in the playoffs, period, and win."