Jazz Trounce Lakers, 139-116: Biggest Winners & Losers
The Utah Jazz experienced very little resistance while cruising to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, 139-116. The final score does not indicate the sheer dominance imposed by the Jazz, who now sit atop the Western Conference sporting a 9-3 record.
The Jazz remained undefeated at home as this contest was well decided prior to the introduction of the starting line-ups. The Lakers were without LeBron James, while the Jazz lacked the services of Jarred Vanderbilt.
14 Jazzmen were in uniform, and everyone received game minutes. The Jazz had seven double-figure scorers, led by Lauri Markkanen's 23 points, while Mike Conley recorded another double-double with 14 points and 12 assists in less than 24 minutes. Every Jazz starter scored in double figures.
The Lakers were led in scoring by Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, who scored 29 and 22 points, respectively.
This game was all about the 801, as the Lakers received their second beatdown lesson this year while competing against the Jazz. Utah has scored at least 130 points in both contests against the Lakers this season, and 139 points mark the highest total scored in any NBA game this season.
The 115 points at the end of the third quarter also marked the highest point total through three periods of any NBA game this season. And the 139 points are the second-highest point total for a Jazz team since 1990. Calling it a dominant performance may be an understatement, and the Lakers could not get back to L.A. fast enough.
Let's have some fun and review the winners and losers from Utah's ninth win of the season.
Winner: Utah Beatdown
Even more impressive than Utah's league-high 139 points is that no Laker played in the positives per the NBA plus-minus system. Scotty Pippen Jr. played seven minutes and had a 0 rating.
Every other Laker played in the negatives, led by Russell Westbrook's -23 rating. The Lakers may just declare the Jazz victorious when they meet later this season.
Loser: Lakers' Front Office
The Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker to the Jazz as part of the Patrick Beverley trade. Beverley then stated, "Woke up a Laker!!! Its On!!!"
The only thing that was 'on' was Horton-Tucker's 15 points, three steals, three assists, three boards, and +19 rating, which is way off the charts, not to mention is pair of dunks that may have earned him an invitation into the NBA Dunk Contest. Beverley was torched in the previous Jazz meeting and decided he did not want to feel the 801 heat on Monday night.
Jordan Clarkson was once a Laker and was also traded, which was not a quality move in hindsight. In the off-season, the Lakers picked up Juan Toscano-Anderson from the Golden State Warriors. Toscano-Anderson may want to request a transfer back to the Warriors, as the writing is on the wall with this Laker team.
Winner: Walker Kessler
Kessler got in on the action by scoring nine points, grabbing eight boards, an assist, and two blocks in just 18 minutes of action. The Jazz seem to have an excellent team set-up in developing Kessler, which will pay dividends down the road.
When awarded game minutes, Kessler has faired pretty well this season.
Loser: NBA TV
The NBA TV Network should nationally televise more Jazz games, especially when participating against large-market teams. The Jazz currently rank No. 1 in the Western Conference, and the basketball world, in general, deserves a glimpse into how to properly rebuild an organization, remain successful, and not tank.
The Jazz are firing on all cylinders right now, and their success should be rewarded.
What it All Means
The Jazz straddle the top of the Western Conference standings with no signs of slowing down. This game against the Lakers was a total demolition of an opponent that basically had no chance from the start of the game.
If the Jazz remain hungry with the obvious chip on their shoulder, we won't ask 'if,' but 'where' will they be seeded in the play-offs? And not the play-in game, the actual playoffs.
Follow James on Twitter @jlewNBA.
