Luka Dončić‘s 40-point triple-double and LeBron James’ 26 points led the depleted Lakers to another road win on Thursday, knocking off the Jazz 143-135.
With both Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton sidelined,
Luka and LeBron stepped up to carry the load while the bench had another strong showing. Each of Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Maxi Kleber finished with a double-digit positive plus-minus.
Both teams started well offensively, but the Lakers’ defense was more lackadaisical, allowing Utah to build an eight-point lead. The Jazz briefly caught fire with three straight 3-pointers, but the Lakers responded with five consecutive points.
At the 7:00 mark, Utah was up by five.
Los Angeles continued to allow wide-open 3-pointers, letting the Jazz shoot 57% from behind the arc. Luka was the first player in double figures for LA with 10 points. The next highest scorer for the team was Smart with five.
An atrocious defensive effort by the Lakers let Utah erupt for 41 points in the quarter. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by nine.
Vanderbilt began the second period cooking for the Lakers with five points. Brice Sensabaugh scored seven points for Utah. Each time LA closed to within two, the Jazz had the answer to extend the lead.
LeBron joined Luka as the only Lakers in double figures in the half as they combined for 28 of Los Angeles’ 58 points. Utah was still shooting well from behind the arc at 61%, while the Lakers were shooting 31%.
At the 3:30 mark, LA was down by five.
Los Angeles continued to struggle defensively, allowing the Jazz to score 78 points in the first half. It was the most points LA has given up in a half this season. At halftime, the Lakers were down by five as their offense kept pace.
Hayes was having a nice start to the second half, converting on two dunks. The Lakers were given three technical fouls over the course of the quarter, resulting in Keyonte George getting three easy points.
Los Angeles then surged to cut the deficit to three points until Ace Bailey drained two 3-pointers. It was Utah’s 12th and 13th triples of the game.
Still, LA had started to heat up again, scoring six points in a row. The Lakers once again turned the jets on and scored eight points to tie the game at the 1:10 mark. The Jazz responded to retake the lead by four going into the fourth period.
LeBron opened the final frame strong with four quick points. The Lakers finally took the lead thanks to three free throws from Kleber. Smart added to the lead with a 3-pointer. LA was on an 8-0 scoring run.
George started shouldering the offensive load for Utah, scoring eight points to keep them within striking distance. Smart had scored nine in the quarter until he fouled out.
Luka, however, drained back-to-back 3-pointers, putting the Lakers up by 12 at the 4:21 mark. Utah went on an 8-0 scoring run to make it a four-point game until Hachimura knocked down a big-time 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining.
The Jazz made the Lakers see the game out at the line with 3-pointers, including a highly questionable foul on George after a foul behind the arc by Hachimura.
LaRavia, Luka and LeBron got the job done at the line, though, as LA sealed their 12th road win of the year.
Key Player Stats
Luka Dončić finished with a triple-double of 45 points, 14 dimes and 11 rebounds. LeBron James ended with 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart pitched in with 17 points before fouling out.
Jaxson Hayes notched 16 points on perfect 7-7 shooting. Jarred Vanderbilt had seven points and 11 rebounds. Jake LaRavia scored 12 points off the bench with six rebounds and four assists.
Hachimura put up 13 points and Maxi Kleber had five points.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at 7:30 PM PT.You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
