Questions for the Lakers

SALT LAKE CITY — There were more questions than answers after the Lakers’ 88-86 loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 3 tonight. First and foremost, can the Lakers possibly shoot worse than the 36.8 percent they shot tonight? And more to the point, can Kobe Bryant possibly shoot worse than the 5-for-24 he shot in Game 3?

But wait, there was more.

Will Lakers coach Phil Jackson move center Andrew Bynum to the bench in favor of Lamar Odom for Game 4 on Saturday? Bynum played a little more than seven minutes because of foul trouble and scored only four points and grabbed two rebounds. Odom led the Lakers with 21 points and 14 rebounds in a little more than 41 minutes.

Will the Lakers’ bench recapture their mojo? If you toss out Odom’s contributions, the so-called Bench Mob did little of note in Game 3. Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic scored three points apiece and Luke Walton added one point. Josh Powell did not score in limited minutes. Jordan Farmar and DJ Mbenga did not play.

What other adjustments can Jackson make in order to regain the momentum in the series? The Jazz proved once again that they are a far different team at home than on the road, displaying far more energy and emotion than in either game in L.A. Carlos Boozer proved to be a handful, scoring 23 points and taking 22 rebounds.

Stay tuned. All will be revealed in time.