In a heartbreaker for the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a close win in Salt Lake City, 108-106.
The controversy at the end is the story of this one. On the final play of the game, Utah was trying to inbound the ball, and Keyonte George looked like he might have been pulled to the ground before a pass was made. Here’s the play.
It’s a tough finish for Keyonte George, who was fantastic in this one again. George was one of the best players on the floor, scoring 27 points (10/23 FG, 4/10 3PT) with 8 assists and 5 rebounds. George is getting better night after night and looking like a real piece for the future. Night after night, George is evolving as a playmaker and creating great looks for teammates. He’s also scoring more efficiently and continues to get to the line at a high rate.
There’s no denying that Keyonte George has become one of the big successes of the current Utah Jazz rebuild.
The other player that’s making strides every single night is Ace Bailey. Bailey is getting more and more comfortable and is making jaw-dropping plays a regular thing.
Finally, a big reason Utah lost this one was Lauri Markkanen’s ineffectiveness. Markkanen was off most of the night shooting and didn’t seem to have the legs to improve. It’s one of the rare bad shooting nights for Markkanen this season, and we’ll see if this is a slump or just one night. That said, he still managed 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Source: Yahoo Sports
Box Score (selected extract)
Click on any linked stat to view the Video and/or Shot Chart
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James L. James F | 34:19 | 8 | 18 | 44.4 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | -14 |
| Austin Reaves A. Reaves G | 39:58 | 7 | 17 | 41.2 | 1 | 8 | 12.5 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 22 | -1 |
| Luka Dončić L. Dončić G | 40:10 | 10 | 24 | 41.7 | 3 | 12 | 25.0 | 10 | 12 | 83.3 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 33 | 5 |
| TOTALS (LAL) | 38 | 86 | 44.2 | 10 | 38 | 26.3 | 22 | 27 | 81.5 | 5 | 40 | 45 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 108 | 2 |
Utah Jazz (selected)
| PLAYER | MIN | PTS | FGM-FGA | 3PM-3PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyonte George | 39:03 | 27 | 10-23 | 4-10 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 35:45 | 20 | 8-19 | 2-7 |
| Ace Bailey | 31:44 | 14 | 4-10 | 2-7 |
| TOTALS (UTA) | 106 | 40-94 | 13-40 |
Full box score and play-by-play: NBA
Join the Discussion
What impact could this finish have on the Jazz’s confidence moving forward?
Do you agree with the end-of-game call and how officials handled the inbound play?
Which Lakers performance (Dončić, LeBron, Reaves) was most decisive in the win?
What should the Jazz prioritize to avoid similar late-game losses?
(Share your thoughts and any clips/highlights you liked.)