FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Jazz - Game 82 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Jazz – Game 82 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) | Utah Jazz (37-45)

 

The Los Angeles Lakers finished out their season on a high note, as they handled the Utah Jazz 128-117

The Lakers vs Jazz played at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

After defeating the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers finished their season 43-39, winning nine of their past 11 games and totaling a record of 18-8 since the trade deadline. 

“We’re just looking forward to the opportunity,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “Starting where we started at earlier in the year, and now sitting where we find ourselves sitting, we’re excited. Guys are ready to go. We’ve got great synergy in our locker room. Need to clean up some stuff defensively, but outside of that, we’re ready to go.”

LeBron James finished with 36 points (13-of-25 FGs, 8-for-14 3s), six rebounds, and six assists. Anthony Davis had 16 points (7-of-15 FGs), 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and four blocks. Austin Reaves totaled just 12 points (3-of-5 FGs, 3-for-4 3s), four rebounds, and six assists.

“With Austin, it’s so fun to play with because he’s so crafty,” D’Angelo Russell said of Reaves. “Getting an opportunity to watch him dominate the game from the way he does it is pretty impressive, and then when we’re out there together, we’re trying to get in where we fit in a lot of the times.”

LeBron James took over

D’Angelo Russell had a solid outing with 17 points (6-of-13 FGs, 3-for-8 3s) and five assists. 

The start of the Lakers vs Jazz first half. 

Kris Dunn had 26 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists, while Kelly Olynyk scored 23 points for the Jazz. After trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the offseason, Utah still stayed in playoff contention for most of this season under rookie head coach Will Hardy.

LeBron James’ jumper was falling early. He was up to nine points on three 3s. However, the Lakers didn’t get the ball to Anthony Davis early, especially with James resting on the bench. Davis had five shot attempts with 4:39 to go in the second quarter. This could be something to watch out for come playoff time.

Utah’s players went extremely hard on both ends, constantly sprinting in transition. Los Angeles wasn’t able to let their foot off the pedal. However, a 12-2 run from the Lakers’ starters, capped by Russell’s second 3, had Los Angeles back ahead by 11 at 65-54 late in the second quarter.

Davis single-handedly disrupted Utah’s offense over the last several minutes. He blocked shots, stole away possessions, deflected passes, and so on.

The credit goes to Utah; they played as hard as they could in their final game of the year. Besides Davis, it was an abysmal defensive quarter for the Lakers, who allowed a 39-point third quarter to the short-handed but hard-charging Jazz.

Los Angeles’ second unit struggled, and their once 14-point lead was trimmed to 99-95.

The end of the Lakers vs Jazz first half. 

However, James’ seventh and eighth 3-pointers of the night were the dagger for the Lakers, who led 125-117 with just a minute to play.

The start of the Lakers vs Jazz second half. 

Since the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers clinched the seventh seed, and they’ll play the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. The winner of that game will advance to face the Memphis Grizzlies in round one.

Russell will face the Timberwolves for the second time since they traded him at the deadline.

“It’s not the fact that they traded me, but the fact that they’re in the way of what we’re trying to get done,” Russell said of playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In. “That’s all that really matters to me. Trying to start to prepare mentally right now.”

“It’s different because usually in the postseason, we have multiple days to prep for a team,” James said before the first play-in game of his 20-year NBA career. “We literally have one day to prep. For us, it’s good that we don’t have to travel. It’s good that we get to stay here, but we shouldn’t be comfortable. We need to stay on edge and get ready for the game.”

In other news, the Lakers signed two players to add depth for the postseason. Los Angeles signed guard Shaquille Harrison, a defensive-minded point guard, and Tristan Thompson, a veteran center with playoff experience. Both players provide insurance at their positions for the roster. The Lakers waived Davon Reed to create a roster spot to add a second player.

“Shaquille Harrison can score, play-make and guard multiple positions,” Ham said of one of their roster moves. “He’s played real NBA minutes, and we saw an opportunity, if anything should happen health-wise, that we can throw right into the mix.”

The final score of the Lakers vs Jazz was 128-117, Lakers. 

The Lakers finish out their regular season 43-39. They’ll participate in the NBA’s Play-in tournament and play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, April 11th at 7:00 p.m. PT.

 

– Jake Ideguchi-Furukawa – Franchise Sports Media

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