This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It was as big of a meaningless win as you can get in the NBA, a come-from-behind, do-it-with-panache beatdown for the Utah Jazz, who shut down the Lakers 99-86 at Staples Center.

I wrote for The Tribune about the swagger the Jazz had on display, notably from Mo Williams. It was evident, however, throughout the team. Jeremy Evans, at one point, had a tomahawk block on Ron Artest that was called for a foul. But for those wondering how far behind the Jazz are from the elite of the Western Conference, a bit of positively-directed attitude should be a good sign.

A few final notes and quotes:

• Jamaal Tinsley returned from an excused absence from the team to score 11 points on 5-of-shooting with five assists. It was an impressive return for a guy who had to rush to rejoin the team in Los Angeles for Saturday morning's shootaround.

• For the second straight game, Derrick Favors started in place of Paul Millsap; yet again, he struggled offensively. Favors finished with 8 points in 23 minutes, one night after scoring just 1 point against the Thunder at home. Favors has, however, tallied 7 blocked shots in two games.

• Before the game, I asked Al Jefferson about the possibilities in the front court, including how much he would like to play alongside Derrick Favors and, even, Enes Kanter, when Paul Millsap returns. I was quickly and rightly dismissed by Jefferson, because Kanter almost always replaces Jefferson on the floor. The Saturday night, Ty Corbin through out a twist. He played them together for about five minutes.Jefferson laughed about it after the game, saying, "I thought about that as soon as I saw me and him playing together. I thought about you. I said, 'He called it.'" Points for the beat writer, I guess.

• The Lakers and Jazz will face off again on Tuesday at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Jazz will remain in the Los Angeles area through Wednesday, following a game against the Clippers .

— Bill Oram