After getting a few days off to reset after the Emirates NBA Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to the court on Thursday night when they traveled to take on the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers were without some key pieces like Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Gabe Vincent, while the Jazz were without their star in Lauri Markkanen. Ultimately, it was the Lakers that came out on top with a 143-135 victory to improve to 19-7 on the season.
Ayton’s absence was felt immediately as the Lakers struggled on the defensive glass with the Jazz jumping out to an early lead. Luka Doncic had a nice response with a 3-pointer though and then he found LeBron James for a layup in transition to get L.A. back in it.
Despite Doncic getting into the lane and also the free throw line as a result, the Lakers’ defense was nonexistent as the Jazz led 41-32 at the end of the first.
Jarred Vanderbilt provided some energy off the bench with a dunk and rare 3-pointer. James also got going offensively, although he had a bit of an injury scare on an awkward fall before eventually getting up and staying in the game.
While the Lakers were doing what they could to keep up, their defense had no answer for the Jazz, who lead 78-73 at the half.
James and Jaxson Hayes were putting on a dunk contest to begin the third quarter. The Lakers were getting frustrated with the officiating, however, as Doncic, Hayes and Marcus Smart all picked up technical fouls within a six-minute span.
The Lakers were able to lock back in as Doncic got going offensively, but the Jazz had another spurt to end the third quarter and take a 106-102 lead into the fourth.
James scored to begin the final quarter and then Maxi Kleber hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. That was the start of a 10-0 run as the Lakers began to take control. Smart and Jake LaRavia were both key during that stretch with their hustle plays.
Once Doncic returned, he got in on the action with a three-point play and back-to-back triples to go up double digits for the first time.
The Jazz were able to cut their deficit to four, but Rui Hachimura hit a huge triple with a minute to play to give L.A. some breathing room to close out the win.
Doncic had a monster second half for the Lakers and finished with 45 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now return to Los Angeles to take on the L.A. Clippers on Saturday before heading back out on the road.
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