Game Thread: Can the Utah Jazz bounce back after getting LeBron’d?

The Utah Jazz are still smarting from the beatdown they received from LeBron James and the LA Lakers, but there’s no rest for the weary in the NBA.

So, that was ugly. After a strong crunch-time effort and a win in their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was tough sledding for the Utah Jazz (now 1-1) against LeBron James and the Lakers in LA on Friday.

James may have looked less than awesome in his squad’s first game, but he was in top form against the Jazz, dropping 32 points, 10 assists and seven boards in just 31 minutes of play to lead the Lakers to a 95-86 win over the good guys. And believe me…the game wasn’t really that close.

I think the last time a team played offense like Utah did in the game, George Mikan — the original Laker legend in Minneapolis — was just hitting his prime. Of course I jest, but 22 turnovers, 41 percent from the floor and 8-of-25 from three is definitely a nightmare game, even if we knew it would be tough going in.

And for all the talk about how the Jazz played well defensively, it’s entirely possible that the Lakers being undermanned and lacking shooting prowess came into play there.

But hey, this is the NBA and there’s no time to be licking one’s wounds. Less than 24 hours later, the Jazz are back at it with a game against the Sacramento Kings. Usually, this would be a game I might just concede as a loser. Fortunately, the Kings are more banged-up than the Jazz and also find themselves in a back-to-back situation.

They fell to 0-2 with a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

For me, the big question in this game will be whether Jazzland will finally get to see the real Mike Conley. After a historically bad shooting night in his debut with the team, Conley made just 3-of-11 shots in La-La Land. He’s now 4-of-27 for the year overall and 1-of-11 from distance.

Woof.

There’s no reason to panic yet, but now would definitely be a good time to find your feet, Mr. Conley. Either way, you’ll look good doing your thing — the Jazz’s classic, purple-mountain look will make its official return against the Kings.

Game Data

Broadcast Info

Tip-off: 7 PM MT on October 26 from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, UT
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: The Zone Sports Network (97.5 FM & 1280 AM Salt Lake City)

Projected Starting Lineups

Both the Jazz and the Kings are entering this one with injuries, so there are questions about the starting lineups for both sides. Utah started Jeff Green at the four and moved Joe Ingles back into the first five in relief of Bojan Bogdanovic against the Lake Show, but I’ve got a gut feeling Royce O’Neale will be back at the four in this one.

Injuries

Dante Exum is still out due to the ongoing rehab of his right knee. Meanwhile, Bogdanovic is questionable after missing the Lakers game with the left ankle sprain he suffered during the season opener.

As for the Kings, De’Aaron Fox is questionable after suffering a hip injury on Friday against the Blazers; obviously, his status could have a major impact on how this game plays out. Harry Giles is doubtful with a knee injury.

Marvin Bagley III will be out for at least the next month after suffering a non-displaced right thumb fracture. Whether you’re a fan of the Kings or not, your heart has to go out to them on this one.

Prediction

Again, this is normally the kind of game I would almost expect the Jazz to lose. However, given the fact that they actually got to sleep in their own beds last night, the Kings are also coming off a back-to-back and Fox either missing or possibly not being at 100 percent, I’m actually going to go with our guys here.

Our friends at The Action Network have the Jazz as 9.5-point favorites, and that sounds good to me. Conley has to make a shot at some point, right? Jazz win 108-98.

Discussion

#SACatUTA will be the Twitter hashtag for the game. There will be no live tweets tonight as I’ll be at Rice-Eccles Stadium in support of my soon-to-be 2019 Pac-12 champion Utah Utes, but the comment thread is here for your leisure. Go Utes…and GO JAZZ!