All Lakers Expert Predictions For Borderline Must-Win Vs Jazz

Can LA get it together tonight?

Tonight at 6:30 p.m. PT, your Los Angeles Lakers will touch down in Salt Lake City to square off against the Utah Jazz for a sneakily-tough road bout.

We're here with answers for your burning questions.

Can LA cover the spread?

Los Angeles is, pretty astoundingly, a -1.5 betting favorite today against the Jazz at home, per sports book aggregator The Action Network.

The Lakers will enjoy a significant rest advantage, as they haven't played since a Thursday blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns so bad that no starters played in the fourth quarter. The Jazz, meanwhile, are playing the second night of a back-to-back set, fresh off of annihilating the Toronto Raptors 113-145. The Raptors, as you'll recall, nearly beat the Lakers on Tuesday, instead falling victim to a massive 36-13 LA free throw edge. 

But the Jazz have been the better team for the last month, by a significant margin. Since December 13th, the Jazz have gone 13-4, while the Lakers have posted a 5-10 record in the same window. The Jazz have improved to reach the West's No. 10 seed, one slot ahead of the Lakers. They are the better team, and given LA's mounting injury woes, Utah should be able to overcome its rest disadvantage. Look for LA to flat-out lose, and fall to two games below .500 on the year.

How will the Lakers guard Lauri Markkanen?

The All-Star forward is by far Utah's most lethal offensive weapon. Standing a legit seven feet, the big, athletic reclamation project can get buckets everything as a multifaceted scorer. But he can also put the ball on the floor, having revealed last season that he's more than just a catch-and-shoot option, and is perhaps at his most dangerous with the rock in his hands. The Arizona product is averaging 23.6 points on .492/.393/.865 shooting splits, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks a night.

6'8" combo forward Rui Hachimura is back for LA today, and he could be an intriguing option for defending the Jazz's best player in spurts. I think the main assignment will fall to Anthony Davis, a terrific post defender who's still athletic enough to stick with his man even when drawn out to the three-point arc. I would absolutely not try to play LeBron James on The Finnisher at all, as the 39-year-old James lacks the engagement to stay with more athletic players at this point in his Hall of Fame career -- at least, in the regular season.

How will Los Angeles defend the Jazz's perimeter shooters?

The Lakers' porous three-point defense has been a major hindrance, to the point where Davis has even resorted to calling it out in the press. The Jazz are a top 10 three-point shooting club in the league, in terms of attempts, at 37.4 tries a night. The Lakers are dead last, at 30.6 triple tries. The two teams' three-point conversion rate is practically identical. The Lakers actually make a slightly higher percentage, 35.9%, to the Lakers' 35.6%. Still, Utah's 6.8-triple edge translates to a 20.4-point advantage, and the Lakers will not have the good fortune of playing at home or on national TV tonight, which could otherwise give them a major foul shooting boost. Throwing top perimeter defenders Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish at the problem is imperative for Los Angeles, but 3-and-D starter Taurean Prince will especially need to step up in his coverages, as he's probably the team's strongest two-way perimeter threat.