Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, looks to pass the ball as Utah Jazz guard Ochai Agbaji defends during the second half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The Utah Jazz seemingly didn’t stand a chance in a 131-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Here’s a look inside the numbers from the Jazz’s loss:
Best performance: Anthony Davis had absolutely no problems and seemingly played against zero resistance en route to a game-high 26 points.
Worst performance: There’s quite a few players to choose from here so it’s worth going through the list. John Collins’ stat-line might not look bad, but his defense left so much to be desired that he ended the night a minus-29 in the plus-minus column. Kelly Olynyk went 1-of-6 and had just four points, Talen Horton-Tucker was 1-of-10 and had six points in 23 minutes and Ochai Agbaji was the only starter to go scoreless.
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes passes the ball past Utah Jazz center Omer Yurtseven during the second half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood (35) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball in-season tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes during the first half of an NBA basketball in-season tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, right, drives against Los Angeles Lakers forward Taurean Prince during the first half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, center, reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. James became the first player in NBA history to surpass 39,000 career points. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, right, drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie during the first half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy, right, hugs Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham after an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis shoots against Utah Jazz forward John Collins during the second half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Utah Jazz guard Ochai Agbaji, right, shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during the second half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) looks down after dunking in front of Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball In-Season Tournament game Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. | Ryan Sun, Associated Press
11-of-44: The Jazz had a pretty dismal shooting night, hitting just 25% of their 3-point attempts compared to the Lakers 37.9% outing from deep.
0: For the second time this season, Lauri Markkanen did not take a single free throw.
24: LeBron James played just 24 minutes and was able to get a cool and easy 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
21: The Jazz actually committed fewer turnovers than the Lakers (14 for the Jazz, 15 for the Lakers), but the Lakers scored more points off turnovers than the Jazz did, turning 14 miscues into 21 points.
Best of the best: Davis led the way in scoring, but had his way all over the court. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out four assists and stole the ball twice.
Worst of the worst: The Jazz went into the night with a real chance at remaining in the in-season tournament beyond group play, but on national TV they played their worst game of the season, handed the Lakers the Group A win and were blown out without putting up much of a fight.
Arike Ogunbowale responded to being left off the USA women's basketball roster for the 2024 Olympics, saying she realizes politics is part of the process.
The 'Flip The Script' series is back. For those new to the series, we are essentially looking at the biggest fantasy surprises and disappointments of 2023 and identifying who we think can be this year’s versions of that. In our first pod of the series, Jorge Martin joins Matt Harmon to identify who this year's David Montgomery and Jahmry Gibbs could be.
The U.S. men’s national team will get its first formidable, official test since the 2022 World Cup at the 2024 Copa América, a stateside soccer extravaganza that begins Thursday and, as U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said, “feels big.”
