SALT LAKE CITY — The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best road teams in the NBA to start the year. After surviving the Jazz 108-106 in Utah, they improved to 8-2 on the road with the second-best road record in the league behind Oklahoma City.
The road win also moved the Lakers to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a now 12-4 record behind lifting performances from Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James, who combined for 72 points, 27 rebounds, and 20 assists.
Dončić had his fourth 30-point game, notching 33 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, while Reaves was second on the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers are continuing to win games despite their struggles from 3-point range, shooting under 30% from 3 in a game for the fifth time this season. They rank 5th-worst in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 33.3% on average.
“I told the guys this after the game: We’re literally one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA right now. I don’t think that’s who we are. We’ve gotta make shots and we’ve gotta shoot ’em with confidence,” coach JJ Redick said.
The Lakers hit just three 3s on 18 attempts from deep in the second half, a complete cold shooting display, the opposite of what Utah brought in the same half. The Jazz hit four 3s that helped them climb back from multiple L.A. double-digit leads.
“That’s the encouraging part, knowing that even when we’re not shooting the ball well, we’re still winning ballgames,” James said, who finished with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Two of Utah’s 3s came from Lauri Markkanen in the final two minutes, the final one putting Utah within one with 40.3 seconds left.
After splitting free throws, Dončić gave the Lakers a two-point lead with 5.8 seconds left. Keyonte George would get up a shot that was contested perfectly by Maxi Kleber, who forced George (who led the Jazz with 27 points) to double pump in the air in the corner, clanking off the front iron and giving the Lakers their fourth straight win.
The Lakers will play their next four games at home against opponents (LAC, DAL, NOP, PHX) with a combined record of 22-46. They will first play the Clippers in the first cross-town rivalry of the season.
