"Earl Watson knows the Utah Jazz were a tad skeptical of his decision to seek alternative injury treatment from a non-team source.

Understandably so, too. After all, who has ever heard of laser therapy for a sprained ankle?

But Watson's organization showed trust in the popular player and let him take a detour from Oakland to Los Angeles to be zapped by Dr. Michael Sheps, who's helped him overcome injuries since his playing days at UCLA.

Three nights after leaving the court in agony, Watson returned to action at EnergySolutions Arena to compete against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I got lucky that I have some good people to work with me," Watson said. "I came back to Utah and had the training staff with me all morning. I was able to run. I was lucky."

Nobody from the Jazz will complain about the results — eight points, 11 assists, a feisty attitude and tough defense in an inspirational 261/2 minutes that led to Utah's 96-87 win over the Lakers.

"No one's ever heard of this guy, so it was kind of like, 'Whatever, OK. Yeah, if you think it works,'" Watson said, smiling. "He's amazing. He's incredible. He's helped me throughout my whole career.""