Utah Jazz: Boozer finds his groove in Jazz loss

LOS ANGELES — Now that Carlos Boozer's shooting rhythm is on the mend, there's that one other annoying question: What about everyone else's?

The return of Boozer's scoring proficiency was evident in the Jazz's 113-100 playoff loss to the Lakers, Sunday. The former All-Star made 11 of 16 shots, finishing with 27 points and nine rebounds.

Exactly what the doctor ordered, except the fact not much of anyone else showed up. Through their first three quarters, the Jazz made just 40 percent of their shots. Meanwhile, the Lakers were scoring at a 61 percent rate. The Jazz finished shooting 39 percent, the Lakers 56 percent.

Boozer's offensive comeback was nice for the Jazz, but the big picture? It's like getting a two-percent raise when the inflation rate is five percent.

"You're not going to win the game when you shoot that bad," said guard Ronnie Brewer. "We've just got to knock them down. You can't let them shoot that high a percentage."

As it turned out, the Lakers became disinterested in the second half, after boosting the lead to 22 points. The Jazz closed within nine with 5:44 to go, but never got closer.

"That's the thing you can't have happen against a team like that," said guard Deron Williams. "You're not going to come back from 20 points down. They're just not going to let you get back in the game. You can make a couple runs, but we've got to do a better job of playing them even."

Already missing their most accurate 3-point shooter, with Mehmet Okur out with a strained hamstring, the Jazz were desperate for scoring. Boozer turned in his highest point total since returning in February after missing 44 games due to injury. He landed an early layup and a 16-footer to get in his groove. But the third quarter was his best, as he made five of six field goal attempts and all four free throws — a 14-point effort.

"I felt great," said Boozer. "It is the best I have felt since knee surgery and I feel like my lift is coming back a lot, my conditioning is there and I am just playing ball."

Williams, who admitted, "I didn't shoot the ball too well," finished the game 4-14. Kyle Korver made just two of six attempts, Jarron Collins one of five, C.J. Miles two of nine, and Brewer two of seven. Boozer was the only Jazz player to make half or more of his attempts.

Other than Boozer, the rest of the Jazz shot just 32 percent.

Said Boozer: "We just have to step up and knock them down and shoot with confidence. We make shots all year, and we believe in each other, so if we have shots, we have to take them. But at the same time, we have to execute on offense."

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