Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers: Preview, start time, how to watch

The Utah Jazz (4-15) are hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (11-8) at the Delta Center Sunday night.

Following a loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Utah steps back onto their home court in less than 24 hours. Against the Mavericks, Utah struggled heavily on offense. They shot under 36% from the field and 23% from deep, resulting in an offensive rating of 94. Chief among those who struggled was Lauri Markkanen, who shot 2-11 from deep (with a number of those attempts not coming particularly close).

Despite that, the Jazz fought hard for most of the night, kept their turnover numbers to a relative low, and had some of their best defensive stretches of the season. Tonight, the Jazz hope to combine that effort with a better shooting performance against the Lakers.

For Los Angeles, tonight marks their first leg of a back-to-back. After facing Utah, the Lakers will make a quick turnaround to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow night. With a flushed out injury report that features D’Angelo Russell (illness) listed as doubtful, Austin Reaves (pelvis) as questionable, Anthony Davis (plantar fasciitis) as probable, and Jaxon Hayes (ankle), Jared Vanderbilt (foot), and Christian Wood (knee) listed as out, I expect the Lakers to wait until tomorrow to bring some players back.

After an impressive start to the season, the Lakers have lost four of their last five games. Injuries have played a part in their struggles, but so has uninspiring bench production, poor shooting, and offensive inefficiency. Nonetheless, JJ Redick continues to shine as at the helm for the Lakers, proving he’s worth his salt as an NBA-level coach. Redick has helped push forward Anthony Davis into a career season, where he’s averaged 28.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on a career-best 36% shooting from three.

How to Watch:

When: December 1st, 6:00PM Mountain Time

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Watch: Jazz+, KJZZ