Somewhat lost among the pomp and circumstances of Kobe Bryant‘s last game at Vivint Arena and the team’s recognition of Andrei Kirilenko was the fact that the Utah Jazz needed a win on Monday night. With the Los Angeles Lakers in town, it was a golden opportunity to capture a win as the playoff race intensifies.
While the festivities could have distracted from the matter of winning a basketball game, the Jazz did what good teams do and handled their business against the ailing Lakers, winning 123-75 in a runaway.