SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
The underhanded Lakers put up a solid fight against a team they had no business competing against, but they couldn't overcome Ricky Rubio and the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. LA was playing without Lonzo Ball (left knee bruise) and Brandon Ingram (concussion), whose return dates are uncertain with so little time left in the season.
The Lakers and put their best foot forward at the start of the first quarter. They nailed the first 8 shots they threw up as a team. Kyle Kuzma (who played college ball for Utah) and Kentavius Caldwell Pope had an effective 8 points a piece with a 5 point lead 20-15 lead halfway through the first. Julius Randle wasn't scoring but he contributed in other ways by accumulating 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Jazz swingman Jae Crowder sunk a three to bring the score closer 20-18 Lakers up, and Luke had to call a timeout to regroup the troops. The first period ended with the Lakers up 31-24, but Utah was constantly turning it over and looked really bad so the lead felt like more.
The wasn't the same story at the start of the second. The Jazz picked up the pace with some points off of turnovers off an out-of-sync Lakeshow and narrowed it to a 3-point lead 34-31. LA stretched it back out to a 10 point lead but some tough interior play by Rudy Gobert and sharpshooting from Joe Ingles kept the home team within striking distance. Utah went on a 16-3 run and gained the lead for the first time, 47-46.
Ricky Rubio, who has struggled mightily in his first year in a Jazz uniform, was in full-fledged God Mode. He came out looking like 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal Game Rubio. The Spaniard had a ridiculous 25 points in the first half! Rudy Gobert some excellent moments in the paint that included some grown-man rebounds and a Julius Randle block off a post-up. Even though Utah had the momentum, Laker guard Josh Hart hit a buzzer beater three to trim the deficit to 60-65 heading into the half.
It was the Ricky Rubio show to start the second half too. For this game, he was looking like the player that the Jazz had hoped they'd acquired when they traded for him last summer. The Lakers got themselves in a little hole with the score escaping them 78-66. Julius Randle wasn't making as much noise in this game as he had been the last couple months. You could tell the Jazz set their sights on containing his scoring, and they had a good chance with Gobert on their squad. Utah maintained a 10-15 point advantage throughout the third quarter against the struggling Lakers, but LA went on an 13-3 run to end it down by only 6, 89-95.
The purple and gold were kind of getting things back on track, but something was still off about them. One of their shortcomings was giving up too many offensive boards to Utah, which the Jazz frequently capitalized on. The Jazz were just killing them on the glass, particularly at the end of this contest. Utah ended up out rebounding Los Angeles by 8, 39 to 47, and walked away with the W 117-110. Rubio finished with 31 points for the Jazz while Kuzma and KCP contributed 26 and 28 respectively for the LakeShow. LA will face the Spurs on Wednesday at 430 PM PST / 730 PM EST and the Jazz will suit up against the Clippers on Thursday night.
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