The Los Angeles Lakers failed to build off their win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, falling to the defending NBA champions. They look to rebound against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. The Lakers are 2-0 against the Jazz this season. The purple and gold were led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis in each of those wins.
Anthony Davis had a stand-out performance against the Clippers in the first game of the restart. He led the team with 34 points. He struggled with the double teams the Raptors threw at him the next game, finishing with 14 points. In two games against the Jazz, Davis averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and four blocks. He will have his work cut out for him against Rudy Gobert.
LeBron James has been less than stellar during the first two games of the restart. Against Toronto, he had a season-low assist total of five. We will see how he responds against Utah, who he has averaged 26 points, 11 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game against this season.
The Jazz currently have one loss and one win since the restart. They narrowly won against the Pelicans, while falling to OKC on August 1st. The aforementioned OKC game was particularly rough for the Jazz as no one was able to eclipse 15 points in the loss. Lakers fans will get an opportunity to see old friend, Jordan Clarkson, back in action after he led the team against New Orleans with 23 points.
The Lakers have struggled shooting the deep ball the past two games. They shot 30% against the Clippers and 25% against the Raptors. Noted sharpshooter Danny Green didn’t make a shot against his former team and only made two of six against LA. If the shooting stays as cold as it has been, it could be troubling for the Lakers.
The purple and gold just need one more win to clinch the number one seed. We’ll hope they get it against the Jazz tonight.
