The LAKERS suffered their first loss (86-88) in this year’s playoffs Thursday night at EnergySolutions Arena. Early foul trouble kept Andrew Bynum on the bench for most of the game (He only played a total of seven minutes.); Pau Gasol, normally very efficient at the charity stripe, made only 4-10 free throws; and Kobe Bryant had just 18 points (shooting 5-24) and six assists.

However, the L.A. squad was able to redeem itself Saturday, serving the Jazz a crushing 108-94 loss in Utah and taking a 3-1 lead in the series. Bryant led all scorers with a solid 38 points (making 16-24).

Once the Lakers are able to win one more game against the Jazz, they’ll move on to the Western Conference Semifinals and face either the Portland Trailblazers or the Houston Rockets. The Rockets currently lead that series 3-1.



All stats as of April 27.