NBA: UTAH JAZZ vs Los Angeles Lakers | 17 February, 11 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

UTAH JAZZ: 

PG | Mike Conley 

SG | Donovan Mitchell 

SF | Bojan Bogdanovic 

PF | Royce O’Neale 

C | Rudy Gobert 

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: 

PG | Russell Westbrook 

SG | Avery Bradley 

SF | LeBron James 

PF | Stanley Johnson 

C | Anthony Davis 

 

 

Battle of the West: It’s Utah Jazz against the Los Angeles Lakers. From being known for never winning a championship in their history in the NBA, to possibly being one of the best teams in the NBA at the moment, Utah Jazz is on fire during this part of the season. The mighty Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, don’t seem all too mighty this season. With a 26-31 win-loss record, it doesn’t seem like they’re the same team who won 17 NBA championships in the past, even as recently as 2020.  This Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 11 AM (PST)/Feb 16, 10 AM (ET), the two teams will go head-to-head at the Crypto.com Arena in the city of angels.  

 

Utah Jazz is currently at the 4th of the Western Conference with a 36-21 record. But if they’re only at the 4th, how are they the best, you might ask. Having won 18 of their past 19 games, the Jazz is leading the NBA with their winning percentage and net rating. They also belong to the top five best teams when it comes to both offense and defense. If one begins to think that they’re only dominating the scene by picking on the “subpar” teams, they’re really not. They might lack the presence of famous, superstar status players like LeBron James of the Lakers, Steph Curry of GSW, and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, but the numbers and their performance surely don’t lie. It’s getting harder and harder to look for loopholes in the Utah Jazz in denying their potential “best team” status. 

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently at 9th of the Western Conference with a frightening 26-31 record. Who would’ve thought we’d see the Lakers have a loss count higher than their wins ever since 1957-58? Definitely not us! Their defense is also terrible so far this season. The only ace of this team is LeBron James, trying to carry their roster to the top but there’s only so much he can do. Saying it’s not going great is an understatement, especially for a team with the caliber of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. 

 

At the end of the day, we see Jazz winning this one. LeBron James is currently leading the Lakers singlehandedly, and that’s not good for any team. The talent within Jazz is more spread out, with little to no dependence on one player. If LeBron James happens to be out for a game, the Lakers are immediately put at a disadvantage. We don’t see Utah Jazz stopping anytime soon.  

 

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 11 AM (PST), Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA.