The Los Angeles Lakers got a generous break in their schedule after Tuesday’s win over the Utah Jazz in the form of four full days off. On Sunday, they got back to work by facing off against the Jazz again, this time in Salt Lake City.
On Tuesday, they fell behind early against Utah, caught up and then won going away, 140-126. This time, the road to victory was riddled with more potholes, but while the Lakers’ tires may have gotten scuffed, they avoided a flat and continued to show the resilience they have displayed so far this season.
Los Angeles played in peaks and valleys on Sunday. The first quarter was roughly even, with the team leading 32-30 at the end of it, and it built a modest 62-55 lead at halftime. L.A. fell behind by seven points midway through the third period, retook the lead and went up by double-digits in the fourth quarter, but then it had to withstand a desperate rally by the home team.
After trailing 105-94 with 3:33 left in the final quarter, Utah went on a 12-2 run to come to within one. Luka Doncic had a chance to make it a full one-possession game by making two free throws with 5.8 seconds left. He made just one of his foul shots, but the Lakers smothered Jazz guard Keyonte George as he attempted a game-winning 3-pointer just before the horn. It missed, and the Lakers had themselves a 108-106 victory and a four-game winning streak.
With a 12-4 record, the Purple and Gold have now taken over second place in the Western Conference. They will return home for four straight games, including Emirates NBA Cup group play contests against the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks this coming week.
Rui Hachimura: B
Hachimura got off just eight shot attempts in 29 minutes, but he made four of those attempts and two of his four 3-point tries. He ended up with 13 points, and he helped out on the boards with six rebounds while blocking one shot.
Deandre Ayton: Incomplete
Ayton was quiet offensively in the first half. He attempted just two shots and made one of them, and he had three rebounds and one steal. Unfortunately, he sustained a knee contusion and didn’t play in the second half. His prognosis is unknown at this time.
Just when the Lakers have become fully healthy for the first time this season, and just as Ayton was hitting his stride (he had posted at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of his previous three games), Ayton may have to miss some time. If he does, the team will be very thin at the center position, just as it was during the second half of last season.
Austin Reaves: C
Reaves was able to muster 22 points, but he couldn’t get his shots to fall with regularity. He went 7-of-17 from the field and missed all but one of his eight 3-point attempts, and it seemed as if his legs might have been a little weary. He did get 10 rebounds and dish off four assists while getting to the free throw line like he usually does (he was 7-of-8 from the foul line), but this wasn’t a great game for him.
Overall, Reaves is averaging 27.6 points a game and shooting 48.4% from the field, but he’s at just 31% from downtown, and his overall shooting has been very inconsistent. If he is to become the star many expect him to become this season, he will need to shoot well, especially from beyond the arc, with regularity and minimize his dry streaks.
Luka Doncic: B/B-plus
As usual, Doncic put up a lot of points — 33 of them, to be exact. But he went 10-of-24 from the field and 3-of-12 from 3-point land. He, like Reaves, is struggling overall from long distance so far this season.
While Doncic also had 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals, he committed six turnovers, two of them coming in the final six minutes of the game. Turnovers have always been a bit of a problem for him, and this game was proof that he can be pressured into giving up the ball off the dribble.
On the other hand, Doncic did provide a couple of exciting highlights early in the game. On one sequence, he intercepted a pass, did a nutmeg dribble to get past Kevin Love and started a fast break that ended with him throwing a lob pass to Jaxson Hayes for a dunk.
LeBron James: B-minus
In his second game back from sciatica, James continued to look a little rusty and out of shape. But he was more assertive offensively, especially in transition, as he put the go in a Lakers offense that has been starved for fast-break points. The team had 26 fast-break points in this game, compared to its anemic season average of 13.6 fast-break points per game.
James shot 8-of-18 overall and missed all four of his 3-point tries, giving him 17 points, to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes.
Gabe Vincent: C
Vincent played 20 minutes, but he took only one shot, which was a 3-pointer that he made. He finished with three points, one rebound and one steal.
Jaxson Hayes: B-minus/B
Hayes played 18 minutes and made both of his shot attempts, giving him five points. He also grabbed four rebounds and added one assist, and he helped hold things down in the second half with Ayton unable to return.
Jake LaRavia: D-plus/C-minus
LaRavia got 13 minutes of playing time on Sunday and didn’t make much of an impact. He made two of his six shot attempts and one of his two 3-point attempts, and he ended up with five points, two assists, one rebound and one block.
Marcus Smart: C
Smart usually makes an impact that can be felt and goes beyond his numbers, but Sunday’s game may have been an exception. He took six shots, all of which were 3-point attempts, and made two of them, giving him six points. He blocked one shot, but he had no assists, rebounds or steals in 17 minutes.
Maxi Kleber: C
In 14 minutes, Kleber went 1-of-2 from the field and scored two points while obtaining three rebounds and blocking one shot. But while his numbers were meager, his physicality helped out the Lakers, especially when Ayton was out, and that is something that numbers cannot quite measure the impact of.
