Lakers Almost Squander 25-Point Lead Against the Jazz
Around the same time last year, the Los Angeles Lakers won the first-ever NBA Cup against the Indiana Pacers. This season, the Lakers are looking to repeat their chances of winning the NBA Cup, first by being the best team out of the West Group B which consists of teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. Last Friday, Los Angeles played their first group-stage game against the Spurs and pulled out a five-point victory. In their second group-stage matchup against the Jazz, the Lakers made sure to get the job done against a young and rebuilding team like Utah. Though the Lakers almost did squander a 25-point lead in the fourth, they pulled off a 124-118 win.
Immediately within the first few minutes of this game, the Lakers would take a 14-5 lead and would never look back. They led as much as 15 points within the first nine minutes and by the time the quarter finished, Los Angeles would be up 12. Utah tried to bounce back during the first couple of minutes in the second, yet, the Lakers would hold their lead, going up by 15 at one point again before holding a 57-34 lead heading into halftime. LeBron James finished the half with 10 points and seven assists while Anthony Davis, Dalton Knecht, and Austin Reaves each dropped 12. During the third, Los Angeles went on to drop 40 points and outscored Utah 40-31. This would extend the Lakers lead to 22, which would give the Jazz close to little time to make a decisive comeback. Even with their deficit, the Jazz never gave up during this matchup. At one point, they were down 25 points, and they came back to make it a 10-point game with three minutes left. Although there was little to no time for a comeback, this Jazz team never looked content and kept fighting, as they wanted to prove the doubters wrong with a big-time win over last year’s NBA Cup champions. Even with the Jazz outscoring the Lakers in the fourth 43-27, Los Angeles still found a way to squeak by and earn their second group-stage victory.
Knecht led this game in scoring, dropping 37 points along with five rebounds and a steal. He tied the NBA’s rookie record with nine made three-pointers. Both LeBron and AD finished the game with 26 points apiece and a double-double. The King finished with 26 points and 12 assists while The Brow closed this game out with 26 points and 14 rebounds. For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen had 25 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and two steals. Collin Sexton had 18 while Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, and Keyonte George each scored 18 points in the loss.