We can only give the Utah Jazz so much credit for beating up on the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
After all, the Lakers were without either of LeBron James or Anthony Davis. Russell Westbrook did suit up. We’ll be polite and say that he’s struggled to make an impact this season.
Nonetheless, a win is a win, and the Utah Jazz needed one badly. They beat the Lakers by a final score of 122-109.
Utah Jazz get well-rounded effort
The Jazz looked more like a cohesive unit than they have in some time last night. They got stellar performances from their guys across the board.
Donovan Mitchell led the charge with 29 points, 7 assists and only one turnover. His backcourt mates played up to their standards as well. Mike Conley finished with 18 points on 7/9 shooting from the field and 4/6 shooting from downtown, and Jordan Clarkson had 19 points on 8/16 shooting as well.
Any time the Jazz get quality play from all three of their guards, a win is a likely outcome. When Rudy Gobert is dominant alongside them, it’s almost inevitable. That’s exactly what happened last night, as the Stifle Tower finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Utah Jazz welcome back wings
We’ve speculated recently that the Jazz have struggled lately due to the absences of both Bojan Bogdanovic and Danuel House Jr. It may not be a coincidence that both returned for a Utah Jazz victory last night.
Bogdanovic may have been rusty, having missed a couple of shots that ordinarily, he can expect to see find nylon. He still made a contribution, finishing with 11 points and 5 assists in 22 minutes. On the one hand, he only shot 4/11 from the field and 1/6 from downtown. On the other, it was encouraging to see him pivot from shooting to playmaking when his shot wasn’t falling.
Danuel House Jr finished with 5 points on 2/5 shooting from the field and 1/3 shooting from downtown. He may not have lit up the scoreboard, but his spacing was still critical for the team’s overall attack.
Last night, the Jazz looked themselves again. It may have been because they had the players they need to fully execute their gameplan.
Of course, there may have been other factors involved as well.
Utah Jazz bully weak opponent
At 31-45, the Lakers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA this season. Without either of LeBron James or Anthony Davis, they may be one of the worst.
Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in this one. It was a characteristically robust statline for the veteran.
By now, roughly nobody cares. The word is out on Westbrook: he’ll get stats, but they don’t necessarily contribute to winning games. Last night was one piece in a mounting pile of evidence of that theory.
The Utah Jazz will take wins however they get them. Hopefully, this is the catalyst for a hot streak heading into the NBA Playoffs.