Los Angeles Lakers lose the second showdown vs. Utah Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers finished up their two-game back to back series against the Utah Jazz on Monday. No, it wasn’t as exciting as the Saturday matchup (Not possible folks!) but the matchup finished up ugly with a Utah blowout!

If you are one of those Los Angeles Lakers fans that decided to skip the previous Lakers/Jazz matchup looking for the same excitement in Monday’s game against these teams, you blew it. Saturday was one of those lightning in a bottle events that you just can’t create. You just have to read about it. These articles are much more joyous than this one…ENJOY!

• Los Angeles Lakers win a 3 point overtime shootout against the Utah Jazz
• Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in an overtime thriller over Utah Jazz

If you were looking for the same circumstances in this game with this Jazz lineup the disappointment will be stacking up.

• Mike Conley Jr. returned to the lineup after sitting out for rest (Jazz usually sits him out the second game for back to backs!).
• Rudy Gobert returned from being held out for rest.
• Derrick Favors returned from dealing with a sore knee. 

In short, the usual cast of characters returned to the Utah starting lineup save Donovan Mitchell.

Talent wins in this league and it showed in a 111-97 wire to wire Los Angeles Lakers loss. The Jazz shot 58.1 percent from the field, shot 15-33 from behind the arc (46.9 percent!) and missed one free throw.

In short, Utah can shoot and they do this to a lot of teams. Hence the fact they have the best record in the NBA.

The good from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

Early 3 point shooting!

The Los Angeles Lakers started the game down 8-0 and it looked ugly early. But the Lake Show got back into the game with the quickness minutes later knocking down 5-6 from beyond arc to match Utah’s 4-6. Shots from Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder and a couple from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got the offense off on a good start.

Eight of the first eleven Los Angeles’ baskets were 3 pointers!

The Los Angeles Lakers backcourt played well…in the first half!

There have been times that either Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Dennis Schroder has been hot while the other has been cold but for the first time all season the Lakers’ guards are playing with confidence and are on fire shooting the basketball.

From this play right here, it illustrates how these two are syncing up and getting on the same page.

However, this was the first half. After they both scored 9 points apiece, they both disappeared for a long stretch in the second half.

Here’s how the starting guards finished up…

• KCP: 15 points (5-8 shooting!) with five 3 pointers. 
• Dennis Schroder: 15 points (6-11 shooting!), 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

The problem? Both of these guys had 25 points on Saturday and it’s not like they went cold in this one! More shots?

If that’s not exciting enough, think about Talen Horton Tucker’s contributions coming off the bench? There’s a reason why Kyle Lowry was in no danger of coming here in a trade. This guy! THT finished with a career high 24 points.

Kyle Kuzma was shooting that thang…for a while!

Kuz was unconscious in the third quarter. He scored 10 straight Lakers points to keep the game within striking distance. He was the only player in double figures and he scored within the realm of the offense. After his hot start in the second half, he disappeared from the scoring column. It will be a major storyline to see how Kyle Kuzma plays when Anthony Davis comes back.

No matter what the circumstance, the Lakers are a dangerous bunch when Kuzma is playing aggressive. He finished with 17 points.

The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

Bad start at the beginning.

As mentioned before, Utah jumped out to a 8-0 lead before the Lakers starting warming up from the outside. This has been an issue for this team all year. When the Lakers (With LeBron and AD!) come out focused and execute, they don’t win games, they blow teams off the floor by upwards to 25 or 30 points.

The “others” for the Utah Jazz hurt the Lakers on the offensive end.

What makes Utah so dangerous is that they score so well by committee. Even though Donovan Mitchell is the superstar, the offensive system can keep the team afloat in his absence. Their first half performance alone provided a great illustration.

The Jazz shot 55.3 percent from the field in the first half. That can be attained when 21 made baskets were from 17 assists. It allows what Shaq calls the “others” to contribute. Check out the first half contributions of these players alone.

• Royce O’Neal: 10 points (4-4 shooting! Two shots from distance!), 4 rebounds with an assist in 16 minutes. He finished with 13 points and didn’t miss a shot!
• Bojan Bogdanovic:10 points (3-7 shooting!) in 16 minutes. He finished with 19 points.
• Rudy Gobert: 6 points (3-4 shooting!), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Joe Ingles: Went crazy in the third quarter and basically put this game to bed leading a huge surge. His playmaking set the Jazz up to hit ten of their first twelve shots! He finished with 21 points.

If you wondered why Anthony Davis is missed so much…pick and roll defense!

Anthony Davis can give you 25 points and 12 rebounds by just waking up in the morning. The Los Angeles Lakers need his immaculate defensive rotations for the playoff run. Despite the signing of Andre Drummond, a disciplined offensive team like the Jazz will continue to hurt the Lakers until he gets back.

Why? The Lakers are small in their matchups with bigs like Rudy Gobert.

• With the pick and roll play with Joe Ingles, Drummond is drawn outside the paint for containment.
• Since Ingles can shoot, Dre has to honor his jumper or floater.
• When Rudy rolls to the basket, it’s Dennis Schroder’s job to rotate. He did but at 6’1, there’s no stopping Gobert!

AD can read the pick and roll and make the same rotation. But as a 7′ foot shot blocker, he will provide better rim protection.

Andre Drummond struggled.

After dropping 27 points on Saturday without Rudy Gobert in the lineup, this game will open up eyes going forward. He finished with only 8 points on 3-12 shooting and the Jazz pick and roll worked a whole lot smoother in this game than over the weekend (Already discussed!).

The Los Angeles Lakers…turn the ball over too much!

Lakers fans…are you tired of reading this on post games yet? Well Lake Show Life is definitely tired of reporting it.

The story from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

Don’t let the internet fool you with the “Oh the Jazz are scared of the Lakers” conspiracy theories.

These guys can play. They are the best shooting 3 point shooting team in the NBA and are on a record pace. They own the two time reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert and a superstar in Donovan Mitchell who is the only player that was close to shooting in the stratosphere of Stephen Curry after the All-Star break. Total all of that with excellent coaching of Quin Snyder, this Utah team is for real.

BUT…the Lakers got what they needed in this series. A split.

Look for Anthony Davis’ return later this week BUT…

Anthony Davis is currently at full capacity with his on court activities which is the final step before returning to game action. If you believe the ongoing reports (The Lake Show Life staff will believe it when he’s wearing a uniform!), AD will be returning at some point in the two game series against the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin gave a update before the game.

"Frank Vogel says Anthony Davis got some “good work” in today after the Lakers’ morning meeting. Vogel says AD will ramp up over the next couple days and could make his return in Dallas on Thursday."

And…

"Vogel adds that LeBron James has been able to do some “light court work” and is “progressing each day”"

Let’s make some things clear here…Lakers fans are going to have to be patient here. He’s not going to be playing like he did in the bubble last year for a while! 

Davis will be on a 15 minutes restriction for a few games to get his rhythm and conditioning. The Lakers are going to be very careful not to make the same mistake of rushing him back like they did earlier in this season. If there is a setback, turn the lights out on the Lakers chances to repeat as champs.

Finally…Something Lake Show Life never saw coming!

Look for a deal that will bring the estate about ten times what the past Nike deal was. Kobe Bryant was a iconic basketball player, but he might have been a better businessman (Let that sink in!). rest assured he surrounded himself with smart people when he was still alive, including his wife Vanessa. This might be Nike’s loss.