LOS ANGELES — Just in case the Utah Jazz forgot how Kobe Bryant finishes games, he provided another painful playoff reminder.
Bryant scored 11 of his 31 points in the final four minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 104-99 victory over the Jazz in their second-round series opener Sunday.
Pau Gasol had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the top-seeded Lakers, who played a dismal final period before Bryant seized control. Last season’s NBA Finals MVP coolly scored seven consecutive points to erase Utah’s four-point lead, followed by a dynamic slice through the lane for a layup with 22.6 seconds left.
“We put ourselves in a little bit of a hole and let them gain all the momentum,” Bryant said. “At that point, you’ve just got to buckle down.”
The clubs are meeting in the postseason for the third consecutive year after the Lakers ended Utah’s last two seasons, including a first- round victory in 2009. In each of the teams’ previous five playoff meetings, the winner went on to the NBA Finals.
Deron Williams scored 24 points for fifth-seeded Utah, which managed just one more field goal after taking a 93-89 lead with 4:10 to play. Utah has lost 15 straight to the Lakers at the Staples Center, seven in the playoffs.
Hawks 95, Bucks 74
ATLANTA — Jamal Crawford scored 22 points, Al Horford put up a double-double, and Atlanta pulled away for a Game 7 triumph in the tougher-than-expected series. It was the only series to go the distance in the opening round.
Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with just 15 points, and he needed 18 shots to score that many.
The Associated Press
