Jazz at Lakers: L.A. need overtime for W after Jazz comeback
The Utah Jazz made the Los Angeles Lakers work for it on Saturday afternoon, erasing a 13-point 4th quarter deficit to force overtime against the Lakers. But despite the valiant effort from the Utah reserves on Saturday, the Lakers held firm and were able to pull out yet another win without Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Andre Drummond had his best game yet as a Laker, finishing with 27 points on the night, taking advantage of the absence of Jazz center Rudy Gobert (or his back-up Derrick Favors) and the Jazz decision to go with a small lineup, starting Ersan Ilyasova at center. Drummond sat the final two minutes of the game, as Frank Vogel opted to go with Talen Horton-Tucker to help break down the Jazz zone defense that sparked the comeback.
However, Drummond started in the overtime period, where the Lakers were dominant. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schröder each had 25 points, outscoring Utah’s starting backcourt of Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles.
Taking advantage of a gift
The Jazz gave the Lakers a gift by resting Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, and Derrick Favors. But in the NBA there are no gifts unless you take advantage, which the Lakers did by the skin of their chins. The Jazz almost stole a win from the Lakers on Saturday, but the win helps L.A. stay two games ahead of 6th place Portland. This is the time of year when scheming for match-ups in the playoffs begins. And the last thing the Jazz would want is the Lakers potentially falling into 7th place and the play-in scenario, where they could potentially end up playing Utah or Phoenix. This win helps the Lakers stay in fifth and out of any potential play-ins. While the Lakers would rightfully like their chances in any game with Anthony Davis and LeBron James, that's exactly why the Jazz would like to keep them where they are. A second-round match-up with the Lakers is preferred to a first-round match-up.
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