The Los Angeles Lakers went into the All-Star break on a high note as they went on the road and dominated the Utah Jazz 138-122 in the second night of a back-to-back despite LeBron James not being in the lineup.
With James out, other guys needed to step up in order for the Lakers to earn the victory, and they did exactly that.
As is normally the case, Anthony Davis led the way with another dominant performance of 37 points, 15 rebounds and a block. He had 18 points and seven rebounds in the third quarter alone, helping the Lakers build a big lead in order to be able to cruise to victory.
After a rough shooting night in Utah the last time the Lakers played there last month, Davis seemed to be on a mission and was able to bounce back in a big way.
Davis’ sidekick on this night was Rui Hachimura, who was scoring from all over the court and having fun doing it. Hachimura finished with a career-high 36 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Davis and Hachimura become the first pair of Lakers teammates since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (2003) to both score 35-plus points in the same game. Davis and James also had a game like that during the 2020 postseason, but this is regular season only.
The Lakers backcourt also did their part as D’Angelo Russell was distributing all night, finishing just shy of a triple-double with 11 points, 17 points and nine rebounds. The 17 assists were a career-high and he only had one turnover.
Austin Reaves was also doing his part with 20 points and seven assists. He had arguably the highlight of the night with a sweet dish to Davis for an open corner triple.
Spencer Dinwiddie is also getting more comfortable with his new team, contributing 10 points, four assists and two steals off the bench on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will now get some well-deserved time off for the All-Star break. They return to action next Thursday when they take on the Golden State Warriors on the road.
This time off can really benefit the Lakers as they have a number of key players dealing with injuries, including James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent. Some of those guys may be able to return to action when the Lakers take the court in San Francisco after the break.
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