Say this about the Lakers -- they make things interesting.
After a stirring victory over Boston and a stroll past Golden State, they slipped back into a familiar habit that hadn't been seen around here in a while, a large lead getting hacked down to almost nothing.
To their credit, they reestablished their edge and won their fifth consecutive game by defeating the Utah Jazz, 113-100, at Staples Center.
To their detriment, however, they struggled to put away a limping, undermanned team that fell to 19-15 this season.
It left behind a lukewarm feeling on a night where Kobe Bryant had 40 points and Pau Gasol had 21, including his 10,000th career point.
Perhaps the crowd said it best, booing lustily when the Lakers failed to hold the Jazz under 100, eliminating the possibility of two free tacos for every fan in attendance.
"They worked us the second half a little bit," said Coach Phil Jackson, who didn't seem too perturbed. "The only thing I'm disappointed about is that we didn't get tacos for our fans. Should have done it. Our defense should have been better."
The Lakers (26-5) hadn't played since Sunday, though a slow start wasn't their problem. They took a 55-35 lead on Vladimir Radmanovic's reverse layup with 2:29 left in the second quarter.
Then came the flashbacks to their struggles last month.
C.J. Miles' three-pointer cut the lead to 65-62 near the midpoint of the third quarter. The Lakers worked it back to 16 early in the fourth, but Andrei Kirilenko's dunk cut their edge to 97-93 with 2:58 to play.
In other words, the Lakers lost two large leads.
Two free throws by Gasol provided a six-point cushion, and Trevor Ariza converted a three-point play after a steal to put the game out of reach.
The Lakers even added a highlight play, Gasol advancing downcourt with the ball, dribbling between his legs and flicking a no-look pass to Ariza for a dunk.
"He's a very skilled player, there's no doubt about it," Jackson said of Gasol. "Perhaps not necessary at that time of the game, but still a demonstration of his skill."
Gasol had 11 rebounds and six assists in addition to his 10,000th point, which came on a free throw with 13.1 seconds to play and allowed him to join a short list with Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac as the only players to hit the milestone after going directly from Europe to the NBA.
