4. The Lakers did not let the Utah Jazz score!
Or maybe the Jazz was just self-checked. I don’t know. I do know that the Jazz scored 83 points and they had the Jazz starting backcourt of Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell’s games locked somewhere in a broom closet.
Mitchell left the game in the first half with a rib contusion, but that had nothing to do with what Brandon Ingram was doing to him on the floor on Friday night. Mitchell only scored four points on 2-of-9 shooting. Throw in the fact that Ingram was giving him the business on the other end, Mitchell was totally ineffective and was a non-factor in the game.
Rubio has been a non-shooter for his career. We’ll move on.
The Lakers did exactly what teams are supposed to do when the shots are not falling. Do the extra hustle plays on defense. Watch this play here…
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1066191761133817856
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed a jumper from the left-wing. Instead of worrying about the miss, KCP hustles back on defense and throws Grayson Allen‘s layup attempt in the fifth row!
Lonzo Ball does the same right here…
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1066182261287018496
Lonzo Ball had missed an easy left-handed layup on the other end. Instead of hanging his head, he sprinted back on defense and knocked the ball out of Jae Crowder‘s hand saving an easy two points for the Jazz.
One more defensive play for KCP…
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1066202632786710528
KCP just took Thabo Sefalosha’s lunch money and the ball then went to the other end for a dunk! The Lakers held the Jazz to under 40 percent from the field in the game and get this…17 percent in 3-point shots. When you are not scoring the basketball, there is a simple solution to winning games…stop your opponent from scoring points.
Basketball is simple, isn’t it?