Instead of Sunday being a tale of two halves, the Lakers\u2019 win over the Jazz felt more like a tale of four quarters. Or, more specifically, one quarter vs. three quarters.<\/p>\n
The first quarter is going to rank up there with one of the worst LA plays this season. The Jazz shot unsustainably well, as we would see, they also were just outworking the Lakers, too.<\/p>\n
They had a staggering 24-4 advantage in points in the paint. They had 16 second-chance points on six offensive rebounds. Everything they did seemed to work.<\/p>\n
The benefit of having a superstar, though, is that they can paper over your shortcomings on any given night. And from the second quarter on, it was Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s world with Austin Reaves playing an overqualified Robin.<\/p>\n
They still struggled rebounding. They still lost the battle in the paint. But they hit 11 more threes and six more free throws over the final three frames to overcome that.<\/p>\n
The end result was a gritty win that leaves the team with much to work on, but they get to do it in higher spirits.<\/p>\n
So, let\u2019s dive into the win<\/a>. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A \u201cB\u201d grade represents the average performance for that player.<\/p>\n 25 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 foul, 4-8 FG, 3-7 3PT, +12<\/p>\n As uncertain as I remain about the long-term viability of starting both Thybulle and Williams, if they\u2019re going to play and shoot like this, then it\u2019s hard to also argue for going away from it. They offer the Lakers the chance to cross match on defense, which can also lead to confusion on the other end as well.<\/p>\n 30 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 3-9 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, +11<\/p>\n There are still a few too many times when he goes to the rim without much of an idea of what to do and hopes his athleticism can bail him out. But he\u2019s shooting the ball well and is an active defender. He really seems to have solidified his spot in this lineup.<\/p>\n 28 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 4 fouls, 1 turnover, 1-2 FG, +2<\/p>\n After the game, he admitted that he let his emotions get the best of him and it impacted his play. It showed, because he was a relative non-factor in this one. Considering the circumstances, and the way he played in the first two games, we\u2019ll give him the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n 35 minutes, 29 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5 fouls, 3 turnovers, +14<\/p>\n Reaves will be a bit of an unsung hero in this one for about 52 reasons, but his second quarter was as important as any stretch of this game. He had 15 points on 4-5 shooting from the field while making all four of his free throws and pulled the Lakers back into the game.<\/p>\n 38 minutes, 52 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 17-30 FG, 8-18 3PT, 10-11 FT, +3<\/p>\n Fresh off one of his worst games as a Laker, he has one of his best. He pretty much epitomized the Lakers overall in this game. He started the game 3-8 from the field and 0-5 from three, meaning he hit 14 of his final 22 shots and eight of his final 13 threes.<\/p>\n A special, special night.<\/p>\n 20 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, -8<\/p>\n After a couple of strong games to open the season, Grimes wasn\u2019t as productive on Sunday. The benefit of having a deep team is that they don\u2019t need to rely on him if he\u2019s struggling.<\/p>\n 20 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-6 FT, -3<\/p>\n The Lakers have gone to lineups fairly often with Mamu at the five with Looney really struggling. It\u2019s not his best option against most opponents, but it seems they\u2019re going to have to make do. It was nice to see him get to the line for six free throws.<\/p>\n 20 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, 5-11 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, +1<\/p>\n Considering it\u2019s his second time suiting up at all this season, an unexpectedly strong game from Sexton. He showed his value as a release valve and dribble-drive threat alongside Luka and Reaves. He\u2019s still shaking off the rust, but this was more than a glimpse at his value.<\/p>\n 15 minutes, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 1 block, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, +14<\/p>\n This was a game where the scoreline doesn\u2019t do justice to LaRavia\u2019s impact. Once he came on in the second period, he really helped change the tide of the game. Even without scoring, he was an impactful player, evidenced by tying for a team high in plus-minus.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t imagine there\u2019s going to be much different about this section for the vast majority of games this season. It\u2019s very evident he\u2019s past his prime and can no longer be impactful.<\/p>\n Challenging his way into an early foul for Walker Kessler was suboptimal, but you can understand why he did it. It did leave the Lakers in a tough spot the rest of the game, but it was nice to see none of the players able to make the circular, challenging motion with their finger most of the game.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s inactives: Cameron Carr, AK Okerek, Adou Thiero<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s DNPs: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Arthur Kaluma, Chris Ma\u00f1on, Jarred Vanderbilt<\/p>\n You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude<\/a> or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n