Utah

Lakers tonight vs. Utah When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 32-13, Jazz 27-17. Record vs. Jazz: 0-1. Update: The Lakers have won 16 consecutive home games against the Jazz, including playoffs. Utah has struggled recently, losing four consecutive games, including a listless 96-85 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. Deron Williams had 29 points and 12 assists in Utah's 102-96 victory over the Lakers on Nov. 26 in Salt Lake City.

Former Utah banker John Campos has been sentenced to three months in prison for processing about $200 million in illegal online poker transactions. Campos, the vice chairman of SunFirst Bank in St. George, Utah, had pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanor charge of causing a federally insured bank to accept money in connection with illegal gambling. Judge Lewis Kaplan called the crime "greed-driven" but said he was being "extremely lenient" with his sentencing. “There's just no doubt at all that you engaged in criminal behavior,” Kaplan said.

A Utah lawmaker wants to ensure that the voices of drinkers will be heard in the state known for its strict regulation of alcohol. His solution? A drinking test of sorts. But in this case, one has to drink to pass it. A bill introduced by state Rep. Brian Doughty cleared a House of Representatives committee would require that at least two members of the state's five-member Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission be drinkers. Loosening liquor laws in the state has been one of Doughty's causes as a lawmaker.

Eighty miles south of Salt Lake City, JC Mickelson's Restaurant has a continuously operating collection of model trains. They go well with a piece of its strawberry-rhubarb pie. JC Mickelson's, 2100 S. Main St., Nephi; (435) 623-0152, http://www.jcmick.com Charles Woody Pacific Palisades

FUEL COSTS Based on Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (about 27 mpg) and using AAA's survey-based national average price of $3.54 a gallon for gas last week, it would have cost you about $350 to drive the 2,647 miles from Los Angeles on the route described. WHERE TO STAY Zion Park Motel, 865 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, Utah; (435) 772-3251, http://www.zionparkmotel.com . Simple lodgings with flat-screen TV, refrigerator, microwave and a scenic pool. Doubles from $84. San Juan Inn, Highway 163 and the San Juan River, Mexican Hat, Utah; (800)

Dennis Erickson is back in college football -- but not as head coach of his seventh NCAA team. The former two-time national championship winner has been hired as the co-offensive coordinator at Utah, the school announced Monday. That's right, co -offensive coordinator. The 65-year-old Erickson will share the role with 26-year-old Brian Johnson, a former quarterback for the Utes. It will be Erickson's first job as anything but head coach in more than 30 years. Erickson won national titles with Miami in 1989 and '91 and has been head coach at six universities (176-96-1)

It wasn't necessarily a surprise that the Lakers lost on the second night of a back-to-back in Denver on Monday night. They were fortunate that the Jazz also fell at home, in overtime (110-107) to the Boston Celtics. The seventh-place Jazz are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers in the Western Conference. Because Utah has the tie-breaker, the Lakers need to finish with a better overall record -- a difficult task given the remaining schedule. The Lakers and Jazz have a long history going beyond a simple conference rivalry.