The statistics don't jump out at you. Utah shot a respectable 44 percent from the field. The Jazz only turned the ball over 14 times, and Utah has 27 assists to 19 for the Lakers.

But the eye test is all that matters, and it was apparent that Los Angeles paid much more attention to the defensive side of the equation than in Thursday's 88-86 loss to the Jazz in Game 3.

quot;We played harder,quot; Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. quot;It's that simple. The defense was much better tonight than it was on Thursday. We did a better job of limiting them to one shot, and we did a much better job controlling their points in the paint.quot;

That defensive effort showed up in two key junctures -- one being the 20-2 run that turned things around in the second quarter and the other the 16 points the Lakers held the Jazz to in the third period.

There were no easy looks for Utah. The pick-and-roll offense, so effective in Game 3, was almost non-existent on Saturday. Every shot was contested and the Jazz got almost no easy buckets in transition.

quot;They pulled one of our tricks on us this game,quot; Utah guard Ronnie Brewer said. quot;They stretched out the pick and roll, and they forced Deron [Williams], to the baseline and that had an effect on us. They also did a good job of taking the cross-court pass away, and that limited our open looks.quot;

Rebounding was another big factor. The Jazz were dominant on the boards in Game 3.

On Saturday, the Lakers turned that around, outrebounding Utah 46-39.

quot;It was definitely a point of emphasis for us tonight,quot; Fisher said.

tjones@sltrib.com

? Putting the clamps on

In the third quarter:

Lakers outrebound the Jazz 15-8

Utah shoots 37 percent from the field, and goes 0-3 from three-point range.

For the game:

Lakers outrebound the Jazz 46-39

Utah shoots 44 percent from the floor