The defending champs visit Salt Lake City to play the best team in the league at the moment. Can the Lakers bounce back or will the Jazz be too hot for them? This is the Los Angeles Lakers Vs Utah Jazz – A Western Conference Battle.
Match Details
- Fixture: LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz | NBA Season 2020-21
- Date & Time: Wednesday, February 24th, 2021;10:00 PM ET (Thursday, February 25th; 8:30 AM IST)
- Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.
Match Preview
Due to Utah’s incredible form lately, this will be one of the much anticipated matchups in the league. Two top of the standings teams going at it in a different perspective for each. Utah will try to keep its 14-game home win streak alive, while the Lakers will try to bounce back from a 3 straight losses. Who will prevail? Let’s take a look in our match analysis.
Utah Jazz
The host are the team to beat so far in the league. Lead by the duo of Mitchell and Gobert, Utah are 9-1 in their last 10 games while averaging 120.8 points, 46.3 rebounds, 23.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.6 blocks per game. They currently have the third-best offence and the second-best defence in the league. No wonder why Mitchell and Gobert were named All-Star starters while coach Quin Snyder will lead the Western Conference All-Star team.
In addition to the above All-Stars, Jordan Clarkson is having the best season of his career so far, averaging 18.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and a steal every game from the bench. He is the favorite to win the 6th man of the year award and we can see why. Add to that the experience of Mike Conley, who is averaging a team’s best 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, this team can beat anyone. In the meantime, 2-time DPOY is having another solid run, emerging as the best defender in the NBA thus far while averaging 2.8 blocks per game. The Jazz are stacked all around, and if they can stay healthy and consistent they might have a strong case for the title.
Los Angeles Lakers
Onto the defending champs, who are struggling as of late with the injury of Anthony Davis, still trying to figure things out. With Dennis Schroder also missing due to the league’s health protocols, other players will have to step in and help. That is exactly what Kuzma and Harrell have been doing in recent games, although it was not enough as the defending champs lost 5 of their last 4. Lead by James, who is averaging 25.8 points and collecting 8.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game, the Lakers can still bounce back against anyone, even the Jazz. Lebron is having yet another MVP season, while being the 3rd and fastest player to ever reach 35,000 career points. Can anyone doubt his greatness?
With Davis out, the Lakers are missing his defensive presence more than his offensive ability. We saw that against Miami, as the Heat bullied them in the paint , outscoring L.A. 52-38 around the rim. AD was averaging 1.8 blocks per game along with a team’s best 1.3 steals so no wonder why LA are struggling in that area. In addition, he is the team’s best rebounder with 8.4 and second best scorer with 22.5, behind James. To make things harder for the Lakers, Schroder, who is the 3rd best scorer behind James and AD and 2nd best in the assists department averaging 4.3 per game, is also missing. Without him, LA does not have a primary playmaker beyond James, who you can feel that the load is already beginning to wear him down. Would you rest him even if it costs you more wins? It’s still a long season and the champs will need a healthy James to make another run to the title.
Game Prediction
Los Angeles Lakers Vs Utah Jazz – A Western Conference Battle. Can the Lakers break down the Jazz? or will they prove to be too strong for them? LA are a +8.5 underdogs heading into this game, however don’t let the numbers fool you. If you break down the game, Utah should dominate the rim with the presence of Gobert while the Lakers are struggling without AD. Also, The Jazz are 14-1 in their last 15 home games, completely healthy while facing a team without their second-best player. What would you expect?
Current Odds
Bottom line is, the Lakers could put on a fight but eventually the Jazz should secure the home win. LA are struggling lately and we expect that to happen again tonight, unless of course Lebron James took over and bullied his way to a win. Besides that, Utah are the clear favorites.
- Over 222.5: 1.90
- Lakers +8.5: 1.90
- Jazz -8.5: 1.90
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