All eyes were in Delta Center on Wednesday night as the Lakers met the Utah Jazz in their final game before All-Star weekend. The Lakers were winners of six straight before tonight’s game but not even the contributions of Luka Doncic and LeBron James were enough to avoid a blowout loss on the road.
The Lakers fought hard in the early stages, using big shots from LeBron James and Luka Doncic to keep the game within reach. In the third quarter, however, the Jazz took control of the game and outscored the Lakers by 10 in the third frame. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Lakers were playing from behind to make up an 18-point deficit. The final score was 131-119 in a win for the Jazz.
Lauri Markkanen torched the Lakers with 32 points, five rebounds, and three steals on 11-18 shooting. At center, Walker Kessler dominated the paint with 16 points, six rebounds, and six blocks on 8-8 shooting. Meanwhile, veteran sharpshooter guard Jordan Clarkson went off against his former team with 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on 3-7 shooting from three.
For the Lake Show, Rui Hachimura somehow led the team in scoring with 19 points, three rebounds, and one assist but Austin Reaves put up a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists on 4-15 shooting.. As for the star duo, Luka Doncic had his highest-scoring game yet as a Laker with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists while LeBron James contributed 18 points (6-13 FG), six rebounds, and seven assists in the loss.
Needless to say, this was far from the performance fans were expecting after Luka’s fiery debut. While he didn’t score a lot on Monday, the Lakers cruised to victory over this same Jazz team. The results were not nearly as great tonight and the Lakers will have to be better if they want to keep their high position in the standings through the rest of the season.
Weak Frontcourt Was Exposed
The Anthony Davis trade left the Lakers without a consistent, reliable center to pair next to Anthony Davis. They tried to fix that by acquiring Mark Williams but after the trade was cancelled, he was sent back to the Hornets.
Coming into the game, the Lakers only had Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len as the only positional centers but Hayes got hurt midway through, leaving Lex as the last man standing. Sadly, Len was pretty rusty in his Lakers debut tonight with 4 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 2-5 shooting.
The Jazz, with Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen, outrebounded the Lakers (48-45) and they also finished with eight blocks (3 for the Lakers). They also scored 54 points in the paint while holding the Lakers to 38 on 44.6% shooting.
13 Missed Free Throws
Fans noticed that the Lakers seemed out of focus all night, and that showed with their play and effort on the court. It also showed in their mistakes at the free-throw line, which proved costly tonight in the blowout loss.
The Lakers are fifth in the league in free throw shooting this season at 79.6%. They make roughly 18 per game on average. But tonight, the Lakers went 17-30 from the charity stripe, just 56.7%. Luka Doncic was a big part of those struggles with 1-5 shooting from the line.
Overall, it was a rough shooting night for the Lakers and it was tough for them to catch up against a Jazz team that was clicking on all cylinders. Whether it was fatigue from the long season, growing pains after the trade, or anticipation for the All-Star break, something had the Lakers distracted tonight and it kept them from playing their best game.
Lakers Stars Failed To Deliver
The Lakers will only go as far as their stars take them and that’s especially true now after the Anthony Davis trade. Tonight, in Luka’s second game with the team, they were hoping to continue the momentum of their win streak but the new “big three” didn’t bring it tonight like they need to.
In 23 minutes, Luka Doncic put up 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists, well below his season averages. He shot just 6-13 from the field and 3-8 from three with five turnovers. By the looks of his play, Doncic is still getting used to his new surroundings, and his active minutes restriction is going to limit how effective he can be during games.
LeBron James, meanwhile, put up 18 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on 6-13 shooting. Two nights ago, LeBron dropped 24 in a win over the same Jazz team on much better efficiency. At 40 years old, it makes sense why James can’t bring it every night but the Lakers will need either him, Luka, or Austin Reaves (15 points on 26.7% shooting) to step up to have a chance to win.
This All-Star break came at the perfect time for the Lakers. Not only will it allow the team to reset, but it will also give the players’ bodies a much-needed rest from the grind. The Lakers have time to get healthy now and once the season resumes, they’ll be in a position to play at full strength.
Tonight was a bad example of what the Lakers could be but these nights are to be expected when you’re coming off arguably the biggest trade in NBA history.
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