He played 43 minutes Friday, more than any player on either team.

He took three shots Friday, as few as any Laker who appeared.

Lamar Odom, this franchise's modern day magic man, given his ability to make 6-foot-10, 230 pounds vanish, missed a good game.

So what did he do afterward?

He caught the game. Twice.

Odom estimated that he stayed up until 5 a.m. Saturday watching and then re-watching the Lakers' 104-99 Game 3 loss to the Jazz.

Pretty impressive. Not his commitment, but that Odom discovered something to do in this city after midnight.

"I should have driven the ball more," he said when asked what his late-night viewing revealed. "Especially when we were struggling on offense, I needed to do a little more."

Ah, you think? Pau Gasol had lost his rhythm, Kobe Bryant had lost his edge and Derek Fisher had lost his spot, on the bench with early foul issues.

The Lakers were gasping and Odom was out there, equipped with his abundant talents and every reason to apply them. Remember, these opponents were Western Conference finalists last season. These aren't the Rockets or Mavericks.

But instead, Odom watched Jordan Farmar crumble, Sasha Vujacic misfire and the Lakers lose.

They were outscored in a game-tilting second quarter, 29-20, winning the other three quarters by four points.

Is it too simple to break down a 48-minute game into one relatively small chunk? Especially when the Lakers closed to within one possession in the final minutes?

Not when Utah seized the lead 22 seconds into the second quarter and never permitted the Lakers to reclaim an advantage.

That's how basketball works, playoff basketball, in particular. Having the lead means having control, and sometimes the most significant details are established well before the final score is.

Consider that in this series, there has not yet been a lead change in the final 35 minutes of any game.

"We needed to be more aggressive early," Odom said. "We got away from moving and passing the basketball. That's the basis of our offense."

Here's why Odom, as skilled as he is especiallyas skilled as he is — can frustrate: Despite failing to inject himself fully into Game 3, he still finished with a double-double, 13 points and 12 rebounds.

But, honestly, three field goal attempts in 43 minutes? The NBA has a shot clock, right? If Odom's going to keep up this pace, the league will have to switch to a shot day planner.

He's not the reason the Lakers lost Friday, mostly because they had so much more blame to pass around. And that's more than the Lakers did with the ball.

You know that ocean of assists that swallowed the Nuggets in round one? Recall the 47 assists the Lakers had in Games 1 and 2 against Utah?

This time, they had just 14, half of them belonging to Bryant, and that's not counting his most memorable pass.

In the fourth quarter, with the Lakers' hopes diminishing along with the clock, Bryant stepped between two defenders and launched the ball at the backboard.

He followed it, grabbed the "rebound" and scored uncontested. Looking at the game's official play-by-play, Bryant authored the most spectacular missed 14-foot jump shot perhaps in NBA history.

Now that'sone way to involve yourself, by doing everything on your own. It's certainly better than blending in, which is what too many Lakers did in Game 3.

"He's an entertainer," Odom said of Bryant. "Playing with him all these years, he has those 'wow' moments. That was a 'wow' moment. It's sick of me to say this, but I've gotten used to seeing him do those things."

The other Lakers, unfortunately, have gotten used to seeing Odom shrink. When Game 4 arrives today, they'll need him to be the Odom who emerged this season not the Odom who submerged Friday.

They'll also need Gasol to re-engage himself, following a game in which he, too, did too much of too little.

As his means of coping with defeat, Gasol likewise retreated to the Lakers' team hotel for some after-hours television.

"It was too violent," he said, "a little too bloody."

And he wasn't watching a replay of Game 3. Gasol instead chose the movie "No Country for Old Men."

"I wanted to think about something other than basketball," he explained. "I needed to get the game out of my mind. I didn't want to spend all night thinking, 'Why'd I do this?' or "Why'd I do that?' I had to clear my mind."

And how did that work out?

"I probably fell asleep," Gasol said, "about 4 a.m."

As long as the Lakers are awake from the start today (Sunday), this series should be in their possession.

But if they fail to show again, if Bryant is left trying to beat the Jazz mostly on his own again, these proceedings will be reduced to a best-of-3.

And that's another form of shrinkage the Lakers would prefer to avoid.

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