All Lakers Expert Predictions For LA's Season Finale Against Jazz

The Lakers are looking to even up their season series with Utah.

Your Los Angeles Lakers are seconds away from tipoff for their 2022-23 regular season finale, an ESPN matinee broadcast against a shamelessly tanking Utah Jazz team desperate to lose. LA needs to win today to have any shot at a playoff appearance, otherwise it will be locked into a play-in spot instead and bonus games next week.

So how will all this pan out? Check out our expert predictions.

Will LA win?

The Lakers are the betting favorites today, by a whopping 16.5 points (per The Action Network). I do think they'll win, but we've seen them keep things unnecessarily close against teams trying to throw in the towel twice in just this past week! I doubt they'll cover that spread.

Who will be the Jazz's leading scorer?

This is a tough one, given just how many Jazz players who normally fill up the box score are sitting today. Utah point guard Kris Dunn, who was not rostered on an NBA team until last month, is the odds-on favorite to be the Jazz's lead scorer. I'm going to go for big man Kelly Olynyk, however, who may not have the rock in his hands as much as Dunn does, but is actually a starter for the Jazz even when everybody is healthy, and is by far the team's best available player.

Which Lakers reserve will have a randomly awesome game?

This has been happening a lot of late, and I don't hate it. With point guard Dennis Schröder sidelined for the second straight game, I'll vote for backup shooting guard Malik Beasley to notch a second straight great game (he had 21 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the floor in Friday's 121-107 win against the Suns), although combo forward Rui Hachimura has been playing really well of late and could easily be the Lakers' top bench scorer today.

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