The Los Angeles Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back as they take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. After picking up a dominant win against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, L.A. goes out on the road looking to head into the All-Star break on a positive note.
This is an important game due to the purple and gold vying for playoff positioning with the Jazz right on their tail. Utah is 2.5 games behind L.A. and whoever wins the season series would have the tiebreaker down the wire of the regular season.
With this being the third and final meeting between these teams, winning this one will certainly help the Lakers and is a must-win to keep some positive momentum heading into the break.
LeBron James revealed postgame to Tuesday’s win that he would be sitting out against the Jazz and he is officially listed out for this matchup along with Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish and Max Christie, who are all dealing with their respective injuries.
Anthony Davis was listed as questionable with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasm, the same designation he has been given for several weeks. But Davis is suiting up for the game and looking to bounce back from his last outing in Utah, shooting 5-for-21 from the field in a Lakers loss.
The Jazz are fully healthy and are coming off a lopsided loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday at home. While every team in the league is going to give the Lakers their best shot, Utah is also be looking to avenge that blowout loss.
Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are the top three scorers for the Jazz, and containing at least two of those players will be key in picking up a win for L.A. Notably, Markkanen dropped 29 points and nine rebounds, while Sexton chipped in 27 points the last time these two teams met.
Lacking some defensive personnel in Vanderbilt, Reddish, Vincent and Christie, other players have to step up in taking the challenge to contain specifically Clarkson and Sexton.
The same applies for the offensive end as with James sidelined, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and perhaps even Spencer Dinwiddie may see an increased offensive workload.
Los Angeles Lakers (29-26) vs. Utah Jazz (26-28)
6:00 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Spencer Dinwiddie, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes
Projected Jazz Starting Lineup:
PG: Keyonte George
SG: Collin Sexton
SF: John Collins
PF: Lauri Markkanen
C: Walker Kessler
Key Reserves: Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kris Dunn
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