Utah showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 90-68 win over LA Lakers. Although not exactly a blowout, Utah coach Coach Young and his players outplayed LA Lakers from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said LA Lakers coach Andreas Helmle during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. Coach Young's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on LA Lakers fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Utah sure made their point."

Utah was led by Robinson (16 points, 3 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Patton (17 points, 2 assists), Jones (17 points). LA Lakers was led by Monroe (10 points, 14 boards, 1 assists, a steal, a block), Hill (12 points, 8 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks), Washington (6 points, 5 boards, 6 assists, a steal).

With this win, Utah stand at 35-10 and 21-1 at home. They hold at #1 in the Northwest and remain at #3 overall in the Western Conference. LA Lakers stand at 16-31. They remain at #4 in the Pacific and remain at #14 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Utah* roster LA Lakers* roster