NBA Props – Can the Jazz Slow Down Kobe Bryant?

The question being asked by NBA playoff bettors today is whether the Utah Jazz, who were burned by Kobe Bryant’s 31 points in Game 1 of their Western Conference semi-final series, can slow down the Los Angeles Lakers’ point-making machine. Having scored 31 points, and dominating things at the end, Bryant is a thorn in Utah’s side, and special measures may have to be taken in Game 2. Here, the over/under for Kobe’s points is 27.5, with the "over" priced at -125 and the "under" at -105.

YOU WANT YOUR PROPS?
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Semi-Finals – Game 2
Tuesday, May 4 – 10:30 PM ET

KOBE BRYANT TOTAL POINTS
Over 27.5   -125
Under 27.5  -105

For those of you who witnessed Kobe Bryant kind of disappearing from the stat sheet for a couple of games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, we have news for you.

HE’S BAAACK!!

Bryant, who averaged 27 points a game during the regular season, exploded for 39 points in Game 2 of the series against the Thunder, but he didn’t get to the free throw line at all in Game 3, and scored a combined 25 points in Games 4 and 5, hitting nine field goals. He was still useful, obviously, as he was devoting much of his time to slowing down Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, the only Oklahoma City player who was shooting well in the series. In the 111-87 blowout home win in Game 5, Westbrook hit just four of 13 shots and Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol picked up the slack for Bryant’s absence from the offense, with 46 combined points. What was encouraging was that Bryant didn’t force a lot of bad shots as a way of "dueling" with Kevin Durant, who won the NBA scoring title this season. That has to go down in the books as a sign of maturity.

In Game 6, the clincher for the Lakers, Bryant’s scoring once again became a deciding factor, as he chalked up 32 points on 12-for-25 shooting, and, well, away he went. Kobe continued his offensive assault in Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, with 31 points, hitting 63% of his shots. He was especially deadly at the end, scoring eleven points in the game’s final four minutes.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan admitted that it was probably harder to defend Bryant than just about anybody, but at the same time he hinted at a strategy that his team will most likely employ in Game 2, because it is just as good as anything.

"You’re not going to stop Kobe Bryant at this point,” said Sloan. "You can double him and try to make their big guys make a shot, but you just have to play a little harder and hope he’ll miss a few." Sloan may indeed force the Laker offense to funnel the ball into the paint, and of course by now we know that Bynum and/or Gasol can score down low, because Utah is using an inexperienced center (Kyrylo Fesenko) and Carlos Boozer is not a defensive presence. It won’t kill the Lakers for those guys to have an added offensive burden.

It is a tough deal for rookie Wesley Matthews to deal with Bryant. One guy who IS a defensive presence is Andrei Kirilenko, but he will not be coming back from his calf injury until Game 3, Sloan said late Tuesday afternoon. That may be a dynamic to deal with on Thursday, and maybe this is another opportunity to let Kobe run wild, but I’m just thinking that Sloan is going to make an adjustment, even if it is an over-adjustment, and make someone else beat him. Since such as thing might force some bad shots out of Bryant is he decided to fight off double-teams all night, or give him the green light to give it off, that points us to the "underdog" in this betting NBA prop, which is under 27.5 points.

JAY’S PLAY:  UNDER 27.5 (-105) **
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