After losing four of their last five, the Lakers look to get back in the win column against the Jazz
The Lakers are back on the road, where they play their next four games, starting with the Utah Jazz on Sunday. This will be the second time Los Angeles and Utah have faced each other in the last two weeks.
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz
When: 5 p.m. PT, Dec 1
Where: Delta Center
Watch: Spectrum SportsNet
The Lakers' most recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which also ended their NBA Cup title defense, was frustrating in more ways than one.
First of all, it was uncharacteristic of both Anthony Davis and LeBron James to combine for just 27 points, nine points less than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's total of 36. James, in particular, struggled, having five turnovers, three of which were traveling errors.
Second, Los Angeles played arguably their best defensive game since opening night yet still gave up 15 offensive boards to a weak rebounding team and turned the ball over 17 times. Also, L.A. finally got two good D'Angelo Russell games in a row this season, which ultimately went to waste because they couldn't close in the clutch.
It felt like a game in which so many things that normally don't go wrong for the Lakers went against them and they have no choice now but to live and learn from that loss. The purple and gold, who have now lost four of their last five, badly need a win, which should happen against the Jazz on Sunday.
The last time these two teams faced each other was in Los Angeles less than two weeks ago.
It was an NBA Cup game and Dalton Knecht stole the show when he had that third-quarter flurry, scoring 22 straight points and finishing the night with a career-high of 37 points on 9-12 three-point shooting.
That was the same game in which L.A. went up by as many as 25 points, but Utah fought back and cut it to seven late in the fourth quarter.
Frankly, that victory versus the Jazz was one of the last above-average games the Lakers have played in a while. Los Angeles could use another dub to stay put in the standings and get back on track.
It starts with another good game from everyone across the board.
Can D'Lo make it three good games in a row? Will Rui Hachimura maintain his production on the defensive end? Can Knecht stay hot as a starter? And most importantly, will AD and LeBron bounce back? It'll be nice if the Lakers can beat up on a Jazz team that's lost seven out of their last 10 and will be on the second night of a back-to-back.
Russell might be unable to make it three good games in a row if he doesn’t play. He is currently listed on the injury report as doubtful due to an illness.
With or without D’Lo, expect this game to be more difficult than the last time these two played each other. Not only will the Jazz be home, but they will have Walker Kessler back in the lineup.
Still, the Lakers should approach this game as an opportunity to get right because the last thing they want to do is pile up losses.
Let's see if the Lakers can begin December on a good note, starting this four-game road trip with a win.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
