The Lakers defeated the Jazz 108-94 on Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series, thanks in large part to Kobe Bryant's 38 points.

"Kobe Bryant was just spectacular," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We couldn't get close enough to guard him, really. He just shot through us, over us, whatever it took. ... I think he just put them on his back, got them off to the way they wanted to play."

Bryant went 16-for-24 from the field, and helped the Lakers dominate in the second and third quarters.

Los Angeles will look to close out the series with a victory in Game 5 on Monday.