The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 101-95 on Monday night, with LeBron James scoring 25 points and Stanley Johnson scoring 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Russell Westbrook scored 15 points for the Lakers, who ended a three-game losing run following a humiliating 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets two days prior.
For the Jazz, Mike Conley scored 20 points and Rudy Gobert had a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Johnson scored six points in a row in the fourth quarter after being re-signed to another 10-day deal earlier in the day. With a 15-foot pull-up jumper, he knotted the game at 83. He made a terrific move around Rudy Gobert to score a layup to put the Lakers ahead 89-87.
Austin Reaves scored on a tip-in off his own miss to put the Lakers up four points, and Avery Bradley hit a big 3-pointer in the corner off an assist from Johnson to put the Lakers up 95-89. Johnson got seven rebounds and hit seven of his nine shots.
The Lakers’ bench contributed 44 points. James added seven rebounds and seven assists to his stat line.
This was the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
With Anthony Davis still sidelined, the Jazz were able to take advantage of Gobert’s 7-foot-1 frame in the frontcourt.
Gobert was in his second game back after missing five games due to a COVID-19 positive test. Despite not shooting until the 10:51 mark of the second quarter, he finished with a double double. Gobert recorded 18 points and 19 rebounds in Utah’s 125-102 triumph against Denver the day before.
Late in the second quarter, Westbrook dunked on Gobert. Then he had something to say to Gobert. A technical foul was awarded to Westbrook.
G Jared Butler (health and safety procedures) and C Hassan Whiteside (health and safety standards) were both unavailable for the Jazz… The status of G/F Elijah Hughes (return to competitive reconditioning) remained in doubt… During warmups on Martin Luther King Day, players donned T-shirts that said, “Now is the moment to make justice a reality for all.”
Davis (left knee MCL sprain) was set to be evaluated by physicians during Monday’s game… F Carmelo Anthony was ruled out due to lower back soreness. He’s on a day-to-day basis. Frank Vogel is hoping to return on Wednesday… Kendrick Nunn’s rehabilitation from a right knee bone injury had accelerated, but he had to slow down… Westbrook took a mop and helped wipe up a damp patch on the courtside floor during the first quarter… At the game, notables were Antonio Brown, Dwayne Wade (a minority owner of the Jazz), and Sabrina Ionescu. At halftime, Brown sat courtside and snapped selfies with supporters.