Utah 96, L.A. Lakers 87

Al Jefferson scored 18 points and added 13 rebounds and the Utah Jazz used a big fourth-quarter run to earn a 96-87 win over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

Paul Millsap chipped in with 16 points and 13 boards for Utah, which held the Lakers under 40 percent shooting to improve to 11-4 at home.

Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol erupted for 24 points and 16 rebounds and Andrew Bynum added 21 points and 12 boards in defeat.

The Lakers were tied with the Jazz after 36 minutes but completely imploded in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 16-1 to open the frame. The meltdown wasn't limited to on-court happenings, as head coach Mike Brown picked up a technical foul and was ejected for making contact with referee Zach Zarba with 8:34 remaining.

Bryant scored nine straight Laker points to close the deficit to single digits, but Earl Watson stemmed the surge with a short jumper and added a pivotal 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining to put the game away.

It marked just the second time in the last seven games that Utah held an opponent under 100 points.

Bryant, Gasol and Bynum all scored in double figures in the opening half but didn't get much help as the Lakers enjoyed a slim 49-47 edge. Jefferson paced the Jazz with 10 first-half points.

• Utah will play their next game on the road against New York. The Jazz have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .667 after a loss.
• L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia . The Lakers have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .600 after a loss.