The Utah Jazz are looking to halt a two-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The Jazz, who are coming off a road trip in which they were swept by the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, are looking to even their record at 3-3 on the young season and trying to establish an advantage on their home floor.
“Every night is a chance to improve,” Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. “Every game is different. The last two games, we didn’t play well, so this is a chance to get our bodies right and our minds right. And we’re at home, so it’s a big game.”
It won’t be easy. The Lakers, a young, energetic and athletic team, are playing hard and with significant confidence. They defeated the Washington Wizards, who may be the second best team in the Eastern Conference, earlier in the week. Los Angeles gave the Toronto Raptors all they could handle before losing at the Staples Center on Friday night.
Quin Snyder says it is important that the Jazz hold home court and hopes the schedule evening out will help the team. pic.twitter.com/rDdhdBOLGC
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 28, 2017
The Lakers feature Lonzo Ball, the rookie point guard and No. 2 pick in June’s NBA Draft. But former University of Utah star Kyle Kuzma is making as much of an early impact as any rookie in the league. He notched his first career double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, against the Raptors.
But for as talented as the Lakers are, Saturday’s matchup is about the Jazz. They are the team coming off two days of rest, the team that’s supposed to be playoff-bound, the team that hasn’t played well since last Saturday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“We need to be more connected offensively,” Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood said.
This is an important stretch for Utah. The Jazz play eight of their next nine games at home and need to use this time to establish a rhythm. They hope that rhythm starts Saturday night with the Lakers.
Rudy Gobert says the Jazz know why the most recent road trip went bad, and the team is still learning about itself. pic.twitter.com/YdeH0eZtD7
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 28, 2017