Utah gave a solid effort, handling LA Lakers with ease in today's 103-87 win. This came as no surprise to Utah fans, who have been watching their team continue to improve recently. Players are starting to feel more confident as well. "I feel we can take on just about anybody right now," said today's star, Perkins. "The way this team's playing, there's no limit to how far we can go." Utah head coach Coach Young echoed his sentiment, saying "They all know they're as good as any other team in the league. They just have to stay focused and keep working, and the rest will take care of itself."

Lost in the excitement over Utah was the performance of LA Lakers star Leonard.

Utah was led by Perkins (25 points, 3 assists, 4 blocks), Robinson (28 points, 1 assists), Jones (25 points, 2 blocks). LA Lakers was led by Leonard (16 points, 12 boards, 0 assists), Washington (5 points, 3 steals), Monroe (7 points, 13 boards, 0 assists).

After the victory, Utah are now 47-15. They remain at #1 in the Northwest and stay at #3 overall in the Western Conference. LA Lakers keep stumbling with a losing streak of 5 games and stand at 21-43 and 15-19 at home. They hold at #4 in the Pacific and hold at #14 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Utah* roster LA Lakers* roster