The Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, November 21, at the Crypto.com Arena, looking to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Lakers vs. Jazz game is also an in-season tournament matchup, with Los Angeles also staking their unblemished 3-0 slate. A win on Tuesday will allow the purple and gold to clinch an in-season tournament quarterfinals birth, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
For the Jazz, avoiding a third-straight loss is the first thing that head coach Will Hardy has in mind. They are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Phoenix Suns, 140-137, on Sunday, November 19. Nothing could be sweeter than to pull the rug from a souped-up team like the Lakers.
Read more: Suns vs. Jazz: 3 Promising Points for Utah Despite Heartbreaking Loss to Phoenix
Lakers vs. Jazz NBA In-Season Tournament Odds
The Lakers are the obvious favorites to prevail over the Jazz. They are 7.5-point spread favorites per USA today.
The Moneyline for the Lakers vs. Jazz encounter is -325 for Los Angeles and +260 for Utah. Unless the Jazz can come up with another big stance like the one they did against the Suns, Phoenix is staring at another loss on Tuesday.
Lakers vs. Jazz NBA In-Season Tournament Preview
The Lakers are on a roll, although there is work to be done. They barely staved off the Houston Rockets, 105-104.
It took LeBron James and Austin Reeves to lift the Lakers over the Rockets, per ESPN. Despite a stellar cast, head coach Darvin Ham needs to figure out how the team can play better, regardless of who they face.
A department that the Lakers will have to address is their three-point shooting. They are the fifth-worst shooting team in the NBA at the moment, with a 33.8% clip per Teamrankings.com. Against the Rockets, they shot only 20.7% from beyond the arc.
However, Los Angeles has found other ways to win. They are shooting better from inside the paint and are doing a good job controlling the boards.
For the hard-luck Jazz, their defensive effort is what needs work. They are the third-worst team on defense, rating 118.7 per NBA.com. The only ones doing worse are the San Antonio Spurs (119.8) and the Charlotte Hornets (121.4).
Worse, they are allowing opposing teams more points on turnovers at 19.9. These are stats that they need to work on if they want to turn the tables on the Lakers.
Lakers vs. Jazz NBA In-Season Tournament Pick
Given the odds and their respective performances this season, there is little reason to believe the Lakers will lose to the Jazz. Los Angeles has the firepower, and the only thing Ham needs to do is figure out what player combination works.
The Jazz are still expected to slug it out with Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson leading the way. Markkanen has been a consistent figure for the Jazz, while Collins is slowly fitting into Hardy's system.
Clarkson, a former Laker, has shown he can explode when needed. After being given the green light to shoot the lights out, there is a possibility he can be that volume shooter that most know him to be.
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