SUMMARY
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Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, Rudy Gobert amassed 25 points and 17 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 122-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 31 (Friday, April 1, Manila time).
Jordan Clarkson added 19 points off the bench against his former team and Mike Conley scored 18 to help the Jazz beat the Lakers for the first time in three meetings this season.
Utah (46-31) was boosted by two things it hadn’t seen in some time: its home fans and Bojan Bogdanovic. The Croatian forward hit a pivotal three-pointer to halt the Lakers’ final surge in the fourth quarter. Bogdanovic finished with 11 points and 5 assists after being sidelined during 10 of the Jazz’s previous 11 games due to a strained left calf.
It was the Jazz’s first home game since March 18 and their first victory since opening a rough 1-5, coast-to-coast road trip with a 108-93 win in New York on March 20.
Once again, the Lakers played without their two injured superstars, LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (foot). Both might be able to return for a Friday home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Russell Westbrook led Los Angeles (31-45) with 24 points and 7 assists, and Dwight Howard contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The Lakers, who never led in the game, had a decent offensive performance, shooting 49.4% from the field, but they struggled to contain a red-hot Jazz squad that fired in 51.1%of its shots and dished out 25 assists.
Utah led by 11 at halftime, but Westbrook pulled the Lakers within 5 midway through the third quarter with a layup. Clarkson then scored 5 points in a 7-2 run that helped Utah control the rest of the quarter.
A dunk by Danuel House Jr., who missed the previous eight games due to a left knee bone bruise, late in the third quarter gave the Jazz a 99-85 lead.
The Jazz went up 111-95 but then got a bit of a scare as the Lakers whittled the deficit down to 10 with 5:36 to go.
Bogdanovic then hit a three-pointer to all but clinch the win for Utah.
Utah returns to the road to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in San Francisco. – Rappler.com
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