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(45-21).....................(45-24)

As of this post, the Lakers have dropped their last two games against decent opponents on the road. They square off against Dallas Tuesday night before heading into Salt Lake City for TNT's nightcap game. Ever since Pau has gone down, the Lakers have been feeling the effects, and especially so while Bynum is still out with a knee injury.

The Lakers present all kinds of matchup problems for the Jazz, and Kobe usually plays very well against Utah. Since they are missing their bigs, they will really need to focus on interior defense and hope for a big game from Kobe, or an outstanding game from their supporting cast in order to get a win in this game. A loss in Dallas and a loss in Utah could spell a very bad stretch for the Lakers and definitely knock them down in the standings.

The Jazz posted their 19th straight home win Monday night against the Raptors, after a mediocre Eastern road trip. One notable thing were the absences of Okur for a majority of Monday's game with flu-like symptoms, and Boozer leaving in the 4th quarter with back spasms. The last time both Boozer and Okur missed a game, the Jazz coincidentally played the Lakers at home.

It's going to take a focused defensive effort on Kobe for the Jazz to emerge from this game. Taking an example from their game against Houston, they should hope they can hold Kobe to the mid-30's from the field and more importantly keep the fouls under control. Kobe has always got a lot of free throws in Salt Lake and if the Jazz can't keep him under control, it'll be tough to take a win out of this game. Generally, though, the home team in games between these two teams over the last few years has been the victor far more often than not.