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LeBron James’ first road appearance of the 2025–26 season brought him to a loud, restless Delta Center, where the Utah Jazz were eager to prove that Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers was nothing more than a misfire. Their early surge suggested they might back it up.
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But the fourth quarter told a different story. The Lakers—a group increasingly comfortable closing tight games—seized the final frame, turning a narrow battle into a composed 108–106 win.
With the victory, LA climbed to 12–4, while Utah slipped to 5–11 in a matchup that hinted at the gap in late-game execution between the two squads.
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Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz Player Stats
Los Angeles Lakers
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| STARTERS | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| LeBron James#23 | 34 | 17 | 8-18 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -14 |
| Rui Hachimura#28 | 29 | 13 | 4-8 | 2-4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +2 | |
| Deandre Ayton#5 | 13 | 2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 |
| Luka Doncic#77 | 40 | 33 | 10-24 | 3-12 | 10-12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +5 |
| Austin Reaves#15 | 40 | 22 | 7-17 | 1-8 | 7-8 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| BENCH | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maxi Kleber#14 | 14 | 2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | +1 |
| Jake LaRavia#12 | 13 | 5 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Jaxson Hayes#11 | 18 | 5 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +2 |
| Marcus Smart#36 | 17 | 6 | 2-6 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +18 |
| Gabe Vincent#7 | 20 | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt#2 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dalton Knecht#4 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Team Totals | – | 108 | 38-86 (44%) | 10-38 (26% ) | 22-27 (81%) | 45 | 23 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 18 | – |
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Utah Jazz
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| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| STARTERS | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lauri Markkanen#23 | 36 | 20 | 8-19 | 2-7 | 2-2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +19 |
| Jusuf Nurkic#30 | 31 | 11 | 5-6 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +1 |
| Svi Mykhailiuk#10 | 28 | 12 | 5-9 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +9 |
| Keyonte George#3 | 39 | 27 | 10-23 | 4-10 | 3-4 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -4 |
| Ace Bailey#19 | 32 | 10 | 4-10 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +14 |
| BENCH | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kevin Love#42 | 13 | 4 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -7 |
| Kyle Filipowski#22 | 20 | 4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -27 |
| Taylor Hendricks#0 | 1 | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Williams#5 | 3 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -9 |
| Brice Sensabaugh#28 | 15 | 5 | 1-8 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -11 |
| Isaiah Collier#8 | 23 | 10 | 3-8 | 0-2 | 4-5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -8 |
| Kyle Anderson#2 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Walter Clayton Jr.#13 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Team Totals | – | 106 | 40-94 (43%) | 13-40 (32%) | 13-18 (72%) | 45 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 21 | – |
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Lakers vs Jazz: game summary and key moments
It only took the second game back for LeBron James to prove he’s not rusty. He scored 17 points across 34 minutes of actions and racked up 6 rebounds and 8 steals. “He makes things easier,” Luka Doncic had said about James ahead of tonight’s game. And he does.
The Utah Jazz started off strong and it looked like it wasn’t going to be a repeat of Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. Deandre Ayton left the game in the second half and suddenly the Lakers were better. James was on fire with fastbreaks and drives to the hoops. His game-high assists helped Luka Doncic score 33 tonight, and Austin Reaves a 22.
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Facing a Jazz squad hungry to flip the script from their midweek drubbing in LA, the Lakers clawed their way to a gritty 108-106 victory, extending their win streak to four and solidifying their perch as the Western Conference’s third-seed contenders at 12-4. For Utah, now a disheartening 5-11, it was another gut-wrenching collapse, their third straight defeat marked by a furious late rally that fell just short.
What unfolded wasn’t a symphony of dominance but a gritty chess match, laced with lead changes (a whopping 14 across the night).
LeBron James, making his first road start of the season after missing the Lakers’ initial 14 games to sciatica (a triumphant return that had fans buzzing), wasted no time asserting his timeless edge. He thundered home an emphatic dunk barely 30 seconds in, forcing Jazz coach Will Hardy into an immediate timeout—a psychological jab that echoed through the arena.
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Doncic, the Slovenian maestro who’s been averaging a scorching 34.6 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.5 rebounds through 11 games, orchestrated the offense like a street magician in Vegas. His dazzling handles lured defenders into traps, setting up lobs to Jaxson Hayes for thunderous finishes that had the traveling Lakers faithful roaring.
By halftime, LA clung to a slim edge, but the third quarter flipped the script—Utah unleashed a blistering 11-0 run to snag a 69-74 lead midway through, exploiting turnovers and a Lakers defense that briefly looked gassed at altitude.
Enter the fourth: pure drama. The Lakers, leading just by 4 points, rebuilt a 13-point cushion through a barrage of timely buckets and free throws. LeBron, ever the closer, tacked on 4 crucial points in spurts, his court vision turning chaos into calm. But Utah wouldn’t fade quietly.
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Lauri Markkanen, the Finnisher who’s been a matchup nightmare all year, erupted for 12 of his 20 points in the frame, igniting a 12-2 surge that trimmed the deficit to a razor-thin 107-106 with under a minute left. But Doncic seals the game with 2 cold blooded free throws.
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