Lakers finish off Thunder, Host Jazz at Staples Center

It was a full weekend of activity for the Los Angles Lakers on their way to defending their title as the NBA Champion. On Friday, the Lakers had quite a battle on their hands as Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and team had to fend off a late game rally by the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by young super star Kevin Durant. It actually took a tip in by Lakers forward Paul Gasol with less than one second left in the game, before the Lakers were finally able to put away the Thunder in Game 6 of their best of seven First Round series. .

It the classic case of “no rest for the weary”, the Lakers had to quickly regroup from their victory Friday night in order to face the Utah Jazz Sunday evening. Fueled by gutsy play by young superstar point guard, Deron Williams, the Jazz used a late game push to rally back and cut a fourth quarter lead down before LA Lakers Kobe Bryant, took control, scoring 11 of the teams 15 fourth quarter points. It always seems to be a battle between these two Western Conference powers, the game was marked with several rough shots and wounded soldiers as Deron Williams had to comeback from multiple injuries during action, and Lakers Center, Andre Bynum, was limited to just 24 minutes as he played with an knee injury. Bynum remains questionable for action for the second game of the series which will take place, Tuesday, May 4th a the Staples Center in Downtown LA. After which, the next two games will be played in Salt Lake City.

The Lakers will return to the Staples Center if Game 5 is necessary on Wednesday, May 12th. If a seventh game is necessary it will be played back in LA on Monday, May 17th. The winner of this series will go onto the Western Conference Finals to play the winners of the San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns series.

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Located just blocks from the main LA attractions in downtown Los Angeles, the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens offers contemporary elegance with sophisticated Asian-fusion décor. Each of our 434 guestrooms including 20 suites features deluxe bedding, a spacious floor plan, and modern amenities including WiFi and premium television channels. Picture windows offer beautiful views of the Los Angeles skyline. Guests of our Los Angeles hotel can enjoy the convenience of our free shuttle service that stops at popular attractions and sites within a three-mile radius of the hotel including the Staples Center, LA Convention Center and the LA Live entertainment complex.