On Monday night against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense looked strong for much of the game.
Even without LeBron James and Lonnie Walker IV, they shot a decent 48.8% overall and 37.5% from 3-point range while mustering 116 points, including 71 in the first half and 98 through three quarters.
The problem was their defense didn’t make the trip: Utah seemingly couldn’t miss, shooting 56.4% from the field and 42.1% from downtown.
Los Angeles battled throughout the first half to keep pace with the Jazz, but as has been the case dating to last season, it came out flat in the third quarter, getting outscored, 39-27, and it couldn’t get itself back in the contest.
The Lakers’ 139-116 loss somewhat resembled their loss on Friday to the same team, when the Jazz handed them a 130-116 setback. They’re 2-8 on the season, but the one bright spot may be that the tough part of their schedule to start the season is almost over.
Anthony Davis: B-plus
In the last few games, Davis disappeared in the second half after a very robust first half, but that was not the case as much on Monday.
He found a way to score 10 points after intermission, and he was somewhat better at asking for the ball and getting it while looking to be aggressive.
Overall, the Jazz had two chances to guard Davis, especially in the first half: slim and none. He finished with 29 points on 11-of-18 overall shooting and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. He also made his lone 3-point attempt of the night.
The disappointment for Davis is he collected only four rebounds. Coming into this contest, he had been doing a great job on the boards, averaging 11.1 rebounds per game.
Wenyen Gabriel: B-plus
Players who lack talent must make a living by outworking and outhustling everyone else, and that’s what Gabriel does on a consistent basis.
In 24 minutes, he scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and had three steals. He even ended up with two assists.
Troy Brown Jr.: B-plus
Brown received 25 minutes of playing time and went 4-of-7 overall and 2-of-5 from downtown to finish with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists. He is starting to look like a good investment, especially at the veteran minimum salary.
Austin Reaves: B
Reaves may not be the greatest positional defender, but he is showing he can make an impact on that end of the floor by hustling and getting deflections. He drew a charging foul at one point in the first half, and although he missed all three of his 3-point attempts, he still scored 11 points in 30 minutes.
He did so by getting to the charity stripe and making all seven of his attempts there. Reaves also contributed with four rebounds and one assist.
Kendrick Nunn: A-minus
This could’ve been the breakout performance that gets Nunn going long term. Getting the start again for Patrick Beverley, who has a non-COVID illness, Nunn started slowly, but he turned things up in the third quarter. Overall, he had 18 points in 27 minutes on 7-of-11 overall shooting and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The one problem with Nunn is he tends to turn the ball over when he is forced to pass the ball while on the move. He had three turnovers tonight, which isn’t too many, but it’s something opposing teams can take advantage of moving forward.
Matt Ryan: D-minus
This was a forgettable game for Ryan, who went 0-of-4 from the field and scored just two points on free throws. On the bright side, he seems to draw “gravity” based on his reputation as an effective 3-point shooter, which can help open the court for his more talented teammates.
Juan Toscano-Anderson: D
Since missing three games because of a sprained ankle, Toscano-Anderson has made a grand total of one field goal in his three contests back.
On Monday, he went 0-of-4 from the field. He also hasn’t made a 3-pointer since Oct. 20, which was the Lakers’ second game of the season. The forward is 1-of-10 on the season from that distance.
Damian Jones: A-minus
Jones, who has been played inconsistently by head coach Darvin Ham, had by far his best game of the season versus the Jazz.
In 15 minutes, he went 3-of-6 from the field and made all four of his free throws to finish with 10 points while snatching seven rebounds and blocking one shot.
With the Lakers’ lack of frontcourt depth and their defensive issues the last few games, one has to wonder if they should try playing Jones and Davis together for at least some short stints.
Russell Westbrook: A
Could it be that the Lakers have finally solved their Russell Westbrook quagmire?
He went 8-of-14 from the field to finish with 22 points in 24 minutes, to go along with five assists and three rebounds. Unlike the last few games, he did a good job of protecting the ball by limiting himself to just two turnovers.
Even Westbrook’s 3-point shooting has dramatically improved. He hit 2-of-3 from downtown tonight, and amazingly, he’s shot less than 50% from that distance only once in the last five games.
For whatever reason, the home crowd at Vivant Arena jeered the former league MVP throughout the contest, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit.
Max Christie: A-minus
The rookie got 29 minutes in the absence of James and Walker, and he did very well, shooting 3-of-7 overall and 2-of-4 from 3-point land, giving him eight points, along with one rebound, two assists and two steals.
Scotty Pippen Jr.: Incomplete
Pippen got six minutes of playing time in the end with the game out of reach, and he missed both of his shot attempts while going 1-of-2 from the free throw line. The undrafted rookie collected two rebounds.
