Kobe Bryant has some time to rest his back. Not that he appears to need it.
Bryant scored 34 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles held off a furious rally by the Utah Jazz for a 108-105 victory Friday night in Game 6, putting the Lakers in the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years.
It was the only win by the visiting team in the series and kept the Lakers from having to host a Game 7 on Monday.
“It’s a big step for us,” said Bryant, who also had eight rebounds and six assists. “It shows a lot of character on our part to come in here and come out of here with a victory.”
Utah trailed by 19 points at halftime and 16 after three quarters, but got within two in the final minute.
“We ran out of gas a little bit in the second half as they played with a frenzy and intensity,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I had confidence that we’d make the right plays at the end of the game.”
