Happy Thanksgiving week to all who remain thankful for the state of professional basketball in the Beehive State. Yes, the Utah Jazz are very bad, but not quite bad enough to compete with the embodiment
of toxic sludge flowing across the depths of the NBA standings (still nine teams with five or fewer wins? That’s bonkers). But during this season of joy, gladness, and gratitude, the Utah Jazz have opened their home to those journeying from far away. Tonight, they welcome their dysfunctional second cousins from Los Angeles.
LeBron is far too old to still be playing games all day. Young Luka is constantly flailing, screaming, and faking injuries to get his siblings in trouble with Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad, meanwhile, are more concerned with disowning their own siblings (it’s a long Buss ride home), Austin won’t stop poking around the house and mentioning how much more expensive everything is in California, and DeAndre Ayton still finds a way to drag the topic of conversation back to that time he almost won the NBA Finals in Phoenix. That was years ago, DeAndre. Move on.
But during the holiday season, we smile and embrace our family members, because they’re not the relatives we choose — they are the relatives we’re given. Clearly, despite having already broken bread less than a week ago, the Jazz and Lakers sit at the same table and offer thanks for the harvest before them.
In other words, the Utah Jazz (5-10) and the Los Angeles Lakers (11-4) will be doing battle in the Delta Center tonight for another round of NBA basketball.
The Jazz have been sneakily dangerous when playing at home this season, earning 80% of their victories while playing at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Much to the frustration of tanking enthusiasts (I see your “tanking since ‘20” tee-shirt), Utah sits just outside the Western Conference Play-In, currently 11th in their conference.
Fortunately for those mentioned, the opposing Los Angeles Lakers are quite excellent at the game of basketball (this year’s Turkey Bowl will be different, mark my words), and they enter this game with a clean bill of health. Utah, on the other hand, remains without Georges Niang and Walker Kessler, while Harkless, Tonje, and Tshiebwe are out on assignment to the Salt Lake City Stars.
How to watch Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Sunday, November 23, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM MT
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: LAL -8.5
Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.
