Utah Jazz go up against 'the best' — the Lakers

LOS ANGELES — After beating the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, and for the third time in three tries this season, the Jazz's confidence is sky high.

They've won five of their last six games and eight of their last 10, and — a rash of injuries notwithstanding — they're feeling awfully good about themselves because of it.

"We've got a team with a bunch of fearless guys right now playing good basketball," power forward Carlos Boozer said prior to practice Tuesday.

"Ever since that (mid-November) East Coast trip," he added, "we came back home with a renewed sense of pride and a renewed sense of a team, and we've just been taking off and gradually getting better."

For the longest time, San Antonio was as good of a place — and as good of a team — to ground the Jazz as any.

Lately, though, it's been Los Angeles — site of the Jazz's game tonight — and, more specifically, Kobe Bryant and the defending NBA-champion Lakers that have brought them down.

"I hope we don't play these guys being intimidated by them," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said after a practice Tuesday with just eight players, largely because Andrei Kirilenko, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Price and Kyrylo Fesenko all were out injured or sick. "They're a great team. But, you know, I'd rather play these games than (ones against) teams that you go out there and you're expected to win.

"That's where you make yourself better," Sloan added. "If you can compete against them, get out and do that, then you should be able to do that all the time. Learn how to be able to compete against the good teams and not be intimidated, by anybody."

Intimidating, though, is just what the league-leading Lakers — now 16-3 with nine straight victories — have been to the Jazz in recent seasons.

Utah has lost seven of its last nine regular-season games against L.A.

The Jazz are just 3-16 at the Staples Center vs. the Lakers and have lost six straight there in the regular season against the Lakers, with their last win in the building against the Lakers coming on New Year's Day 2006.

That was a game in which the Lakers were without Bryant, who was suspended at the time, and Jazz starting point guard Deron Williams, then a rookie, played just 15 minutes off the bench behind Keith McLeod.

Moreover, the Lakers have eliminated Utah from the playoffs the past two postseasons — most recently in the opening round, and before that in the second round.