Utah Jazz hit with deja vu: Sloan says Utah needs to show a little nasty streak to beat Lakers

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Jazz in the first game of a playoff series, and afterward, coach Jerry Sloan challenges his club to be tougher.

Nastier, actually.

If it all sounds familiar, it's only because it is.

Last time, it was the first game of last year's first round.

This time, it was Game 1 in the best-of-seven second round, and this time, it was Kobe Bryant — who scored six of L.A.'s final 10 points and finished with 31 — and the defending NBA-champion Lakers beating Utah 104-99 Sunday at Staples Center.

Utah, down 14 in the second quarter, led 93-91 with just more than three minutes remaining.

Its comeback bid ultimately fell short, it was enough for Sloan to yearn for more — much more — when Game 2 arrives Tuesday.

"I just hope our guys come with enough toughness to withstand their toughness," he said.

"They (the Lakers) will take your nose and stick it in the ground and turn around on their heels on top of ya. That's how good they are. We have to learn to fight through that.

"If you want to play in this league and play in the playoffs, you have to get a little nasty," Sloan added. "Not hurt anybody, but (you can't) accept getting your nose rubbed in the dirt."

The message from Sloan, who caught some flak for using the "nasty" word last postseason, was delivered both to the media and his team.

And it evidently made quite an impression upon a club that got 24 points from Deron Williams, 18 points and 12 rebounds from Carlos Boozer and double-figure scoring as well from C.J. Miles (16), Paul Millsap (16) and Wesley Matthews (14).

"We've got to have that mentality the whole game. We can't just it have in segments," Boozer said. "They're the champions. To beat the champions, you've got to be aggressive, you've got to fight back. They're the champs for a reason, and it ain't by accident."

"You can only get beat up for so long," Matthews added. "Now, the second game, we just can't let that happen from the jump. They're gonna come out swinging, but we've got to come out swinging as well."

Laker jabs landed left and right during a first half in which L.A. — the Western Conference's No. 1 seed — built a 53-45 advantage, and it wasn't until Miles hit two free throws with 7:14 to go that the fifth-seeded Jazz took their first lead since early in the opening quarter.