Fourth Quarter Collapse Ends Jazz Winning Streak
Apr 7, 2019, 10:03 PM
Grayson Allen #24 of the Utah Jazz grabs a defensive rebound against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center on April 07, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
(Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Utah Jazz saw their season long winning streak end at seven with a 113-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both teams came into the game missing several key players to injury or rest. Most notably, the Lakers took the floor with the game’s best player, LeBron James, on the bench after being shut down for the rest of the season by the team on March 31. Los Angeles was also without Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.
The Jazz had plenty of injuries themselves with Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto, Kyle Korver, Derrick Favors and Dante Exum all being ruled out.
back home 🛫 pic.twitter.com/qZxRY5YUvA
— x – Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2019
Lakers Control Beginning, End Of Game
After trailing most of the game, the Jazz finally caught the Lakers at 41-all on a 3-pointer by Thabo Sefolosha, who made just his second start of the season for the shorthanded Jazz.
The second quarter was a huge improvement for the Jazz after they allowed the Lakers to take a 34-27 lead after the opening period. In the second period, Donovan Mitchell was terrific, scoring 10 points in the quarter to help the Jazz take a 59-54 lead at halftime.
— x – Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2019
The second half was tough for Utah. The Lakers were led by an unlikely duo as JaVale McGee and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were dynamic, combining for 53 points together. Alex Caruso, who spent considerable time in the G League this season, also had a strong outing with 18 points.
The Jazz kept it close in the end, but weren’t able to retake the lead as they saw their season long winning streak come to an end in Los Angeles.
Key Stats
Gobert led the Jazz with another double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds. He slammed his NBA record 300th dunk of the season in the game.
Dunk 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for the Big Fella pic.twitter.com/suL7Pi76kO
— x – Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2019
Mitchell finished with 19 points while Georges Niang turned in a career-high 16 points.
Playoff Implications
With the loss and a win by Portland over Denver Sunday night, the Trail Blazers’ lead over Utah for the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff race increased to two games. With just two games remaining for the Jazz, it appears likely that they will receive the fifth seed in the playoffs and face Portland on the road to start the first round series.
Next Up
The Jazz will return to Salt Lake City for their regular season home finale against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet.
