Anthony Davis leads the Lakers to a dominant victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers secured a place in the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament with a comfortable win against the Utah Jazz (131-99).
Anthony Davis led the way with 26 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two steals. LeBron James contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. After a difficult short period of play, D’Angelo Russell showed a better performance and scored 20 points with eight assists.
The Lakers got off to a good start and LeBron continued his incredible play. He became the first player in NBA history to score 39,000 points and also moved to 7th all-time in 3-point contests.
They scored 32 points and led by 15 points at the end of the first quarter. AD was close to a double-double, scoring 11 points and nine rebounds. Austin Reaves made an immediate impact, quickly scoring five points. Cam Reddish unfortunately left the game with groin pain.
In the second quarter, the Jazz cut their lead to nine. The Lakers responded with a lead of 16, led by AD, who reached the double-double he flirted with in the first game.
At halftime, the Lakers were ahead 62-41. Reaves performed well in the first half, scoring seven points with three assists and two steals. The entire team had up to 36 points with 16 assists and 22 field goals.
In the third quarter, the Jazz were able to cut their lead to 15, but the Lakers answered with a 20 lead.
The entire quarter was a dominant masterclass from the Lakers, who never gave the Jazz a chance to make a run. At the end of the third period they led 102-75.
The Jazz seemed to gain some momentum early in the fourth period, but it wasn’t enough as the Lakers continued to be in control. The rest of the fourth part turned into garbage time as the jazz looked like a sad piece of music.
The central theses:
A big plus was that the Lakers scored 76 points on the season. A big factor in their win tonight.
They also kept their lead and didn’t take their foot off the gas. For this team to be successful for the remainder of this season, they must do so consistently.
The rebounding battle was another win as they secured 59 points.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
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