After a blowout win against the Utah Jazz on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers hit the road to take them on again in a rematch before the All-Star break.
The Lakers entered the evening shorthanded as Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent were ruled out, but their absences might not have mattered because Los Angeles was blown out, 131-119.
Jaxson Hayes got the team on the board with a highlight-reel dunk over Walker Kessler, while Luka Doncic dazzled with a nifty pass to Rui Hachimura for a corner 3-pointer. Unlike their first matchup, though, Utah was much more organized on both ends of the floor which led to Los Angeles being down 13-12 midway through the first.
Doncic got the Lakers back into the game with a lob to Hayes and a 3-pointer at the top of the arc to give the team a 19-17 lead. Alex Len made his debut and Dalton Knecht returned to the lineup near the end of the quarter, but L.A. found themselves trailing 33-30 at the end of the first.
Without their normal lineups on the floor, the Laker offense struggled though LeBron James did his best to keep it afloat. Doncic checked back in and immediately got the Lakers back on track with a layup and some good passes to help them retake the lead.
Los Angeles’ advantage was short-lived as their offense experienced another lull which led to Utah’s 13-2 run. Rui Hachimura and James were able to spark a run, but the Lakers still went into the half down 64-56.
Hayes was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a facial contusion, leaving the Lakers even more shorthanded.
L.A. came out of the third flat though back-to-back triples from James and Austin Reaves cut the deficit to five. However, things quickly spiraled out of control as Utah went on a 17-2 run and took a 20-point lead in the process.
Nothing seemed to break the Lakers’ way as the Jazz completely controlled the game on both ends of the floor. While L.A. showed some fight, they still went into the fourth trailing 104-86.
Things didn’t get much better to begin the fourth as the Lakers struggled to cut into the Jazz’s lead. With Los Angeles down big, head coach JJ Redick emptied the bench and the team would enter the break on a disappointing note despite some impressive garbage time play from Bronny James.
What’s next for the Lakers
The All-Star break comes at a good time for the Lakers who could use the rest and time to acclimate Doncic. They return to action next Wednesday at home against the Charlotte Hornets.
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