The UTAH JAZZ sent a strong message to everyone that cared to pay attention as they cruised past the reigning-champion Los Angeles Lakers 114-89.
They are strong contenders for the title, and others have to buckle up.
The Utah Jazz was all over the Lakers from the first quarter, and they refused to drop the intensity until the sound of the final buzzer.
Although the Lakers were without Anthony Davis, they had other stars available. This was a sound beating for the Lakers with little to no excuse for it.
By the end of the game, Utah had 22 threes with 45 percent shooting from beyond the arc, compared to just eight for the Lakers.
Despite LeBron James leading all scorers in the game with 19 points, he couldn’t handle the Utah Jazz, who had six players finish the game with double digits.
“It’s all about getting better…. We did a great job sharing the ball offensively. When we defend, and we share the ball, it’s hard to beat us.”
Gobert scored the most points for the Jazz with 18 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Clarkson followed closely with 18 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic dropped 15 points. Mike Conley had 14 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and Donovan Mitchell finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Utah Jazz’s teamwork was evident in their 28 team assists on 41 baskets. The level of playmaking from several players in the Jazz team is good. Coach Jazz coach Quin Snyder praised the playmaking quality in his squad:
“The fact that we have a lot of guys that are capable of making plays, and our team likes to play that way, that’s part of who we are and part of our identity,”
