Mitchell dominates, Jazz beat Lakers 113-95
Jan 12, 2019, 10:02 AM
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dunks on Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Jazz played without point guards Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto because of injuries, and it was no big deal.
Not with Donovan Mitchell showing off his ball-handling skills.
Mitchell had 33 points and a career-high nine assists, helping Utah beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-95 on Friday night. The second-year guard helped make up for his missing teammates with a flurry of game-changing plays on both ends of the court.
“My biggest thing is just trying to make the right reads,” Mitchell said. “That’s been my thing since I first got here. Just continuing to play under control and just find guys.”
Utah (22-21) made 15 3-pointers in its fourth win in five games. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. Joe Ingles collected 14 points and a career-high 12 boards, and Derrick Favors finished with 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
The Jazz enjoyed a 65-55 advantage on the glass, marking the eighth time in franchise history they had at least 65 rebounds.
Michael Beasley scored 17 points for the Lakers. Brandon Ingram added 15 points and Kyle Kuzma had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Los Angeles (23-20) lost for the sixth time in nine games without LeBron James in the lineup. James is out with a groin injury.
The Lakers shot just 36 percent from the floor.
“We couldn’t ever get a rhythm going,” coach Luke Walton said. “We couldn’t find it. Once we were struggling to score, we let that affect our overall energy, which is something we talk about. It’s a good learning experience for our guys.”
Utah broke the game open in the second quarter by holding Los Angeles without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. The Lakers trailed 41-34 after Ivica Zubac scored back-to-back baskets with 7:35 left. They did not get another basket until Javale McGee hit a short jumper with 55.1 seconds left in the half.
Utah took advantage of the drought. The Jazz used an 18-4 run to open a 59-38 lead. Mitchell fueled much of the run with his play on both ends of the court. He drove for a pair of baskets, blocked a layup attempt by Kyle Kuzma, and fed a no-look pass to Ingles in the corner to set up his first 3-pointer of the night.
“We guarded,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “We defended well. We still have to work at scoring off our defense.”
Los Angeles trimmed Utah’s lead to 76-66 in the third quarter after Beasley made back-to-back baskets and hit a pair of free throws as part of a 10-0 run. The Lakers couldn’t cut it to single digits.
Utah used a 14-5 run, capped by a layup from Gobert, to put it out of reach again and take a 95-73 lead with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter.
PERIMETER PRECISION
Royce O’Neale made his fourth start of the season after Neto’s groin injury against the Magic on Wednesday forced Snyder to shuffle his starting lineup yet again.
O’Neale responded with 17 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers.
“People don’t know that Royce is one of the best shooters on the team,” Mitchell said. “Tonight was a night where people could see that.”
BEASLEY INJURED
The injury bug continues to bite the Lakers. Beasley hurt his right hand when he fouled O’Neale with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter. Rookie center Moritz Wagner replaced him.
Walton said the veteran forward will get X-rays.
BOOM
Mitchell’s big night included a hard right-handed jam over McGee with about three minutes left in the second quarter.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James did not travel to Utah. … Kuzma went 0 of 8 from the field in the first half and shot just 4 of 18 (.222) from the floor overall. … Ingram scored just three points over the final three quarters. … The Lakers outscored Utah 52-22 in bench points.
Jazz: Favors now has 3,986 career rebounds with Utah and passed Greg Ostertag (3,978) for fourth place on the Jazz rebounding list. … Mitchell scored 25-plus points for the fourth consecutive game. … Gobert is second in the NBA with 34 double-doubles this season. . Utah has made 10 or more 3-pointers in eight consecutive home games.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Jazz: Host the Bulls on Saturday.
