Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers vs Jazz: Los Angeles falls to Utah despite strong fourth quarter

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

UtahJazz107

Los AngelesLakers102

The second installment of Lakers vs Jazz showed us they could show up in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles had their hands full with the Jazz coming to town on Monday night. Injuries have proven to be a consistent issue for the team, and that didn’t change tonight.

In the third quarter, the team lost center Tarik Black to a sprained right ankle after landing awkwardly.

While that adds to concerns for the team moving forward, Los Angeles is now 10-13 on the season.

The Lakers faced a 15-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Jazz by nine in the final frame. Utah was held to just 18 points, with most of them coming in the closing minutes.

Controlling the erratic shots is something that this young team still has to figure out. Too many hurried shots can hurt the rhythm of the offense, and that’s exactly what happened.

After going off for 40 points recently, Lou Williams found more of his sweet spot with 38 more. Williams led the scoring category for both teams despite coming off the bench.

Lou Williams puts on another show, pouring in 38 points off the bench, though Utah pulls out the win. pic.twitter.com/4h4OiM4n1u

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 6, 2016

Jordan Clarkson had 17 of his own off the bench, while the starting lineup failed to really do anything.

Julius Randle led all Lakers starters with just 11 points, and the starting five combined for just 34 points.

Despite not having Black in the game after his injury, Los Angeles managed to beat Utah in the rebounding area by a factor of four.

Both teams had 12 turnovers, while the Jazz shot better from the field as well as from beyond the arc.

Los Angeles shot only 14 three-pointers all game, making only five of them. While this wasn’t the major issue, it definitely contributed to lost points that piled up.

Next up for the Lakers is a trip to Houston against the Rockets on Wednesday.