Anthony Davis scores 33 points, LeBron James takes over late as Lakers hold on to beat Jazz 105-104
SALT LAKE CITY– Anthony Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds, LeBron James added 27 points and 14 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 105-104 on Sunday night.
After James missed a 3-pointer – his 10th attempt of the night – in the final seconds, Utah had a chance to win the game, but Collin Sexton missed the inside pass and couldn’t get a shot before the buzzer.
James hit a left-handed hook with 41.0 seconds left, but Walker Kessler made a putback at the other end to keep the Jazz within a basket.
Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points and John Collins 21 as the Jazz lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Davis scored 16 points in the third quarter and James took over in the fourth while Davis rested. James made four consecutive shots, including a reverse layup and a dunk, which increased the Lakers’ lead to 101-92.
The Lakers were without Jaxson Hayes (sprained right ankle), Austin Reaves (bruised hip), D’Angelo Russell (illness) and Cam Reddish (illness). Hayes is expected to miss two to three weeks.
Lakers: James filled the point guard role and Davis’ strong play gave Los Angeles a little cushion. However, the Lakers, tired, had to resist the end of the Jazz race.
Jazz: Utah commits more turnovers than any team in the league and it hurt them again with two key giveaways down the stretch. The Jazz made 15 turnovers which led to 20 points for the Lakers.
Sexton made a layup in the final moments that appeared to give the Jazz a 106-105 lead, but it was erased when Utah coach Will Hardy called a timeout behind the play at 2.1 seconds left.
James surpassed 15,000 career field goals in the second quarter, becoming the second player in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15,837) to reach that mark.
Utah travels to Oklahoma City on Tuesday to open a seven-game road trip, and the Lakers travel to Minnesota on Monday.
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