- 1 Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers: Kessler’s 22 of 26 against a Utah defence giving up 121 a night
- 2 Utah Jazz: a new lineup, a third-quarter collapse and a defence still being built
- 3 Los Angeles Lakers: Reaves on 10 of 13, Doncic still finding the ball security
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers: Kessler’s 22 of 26 against a Utah defence giving up 121 a night 
Walker Kessler has missed four shots all season. He went 12 for 12 in the Lakers’ 127-105 opener against Golden State, then 10 of 14 for 22 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in Friday’s 125-117 win over the Clippers.
The Lakers are 2-0 and travel to Salt Lake City for a 5pm ET tip-off on Sunday 25 October at the Delta Center. They’re averaging 126.0 points and allowing 111.0.
Utah are 1-1, and the numbers run the other way: 111.5 scored, 121.0 allowed. The Jazz lost 123-103 in Memphis on opening night, then held on to beat New Orleans 120-119 on Friday after blowing a 15-point lead.
Both teams played on Friday, so neither has a rest edge. The difference is in how they’ve played: the Lakers shot 58% from the field and 44% from three against the Clippers, while Utah were outrebounded 55-38 in Memphis.
I’d point to one Lakers weakness. Luka Doncic committed a career-high 11 turnovers on Friday, and the team still won by eight because the Clippers gave it away 25 times.
Utah Jazz: a new lineup, a third-quarter collapse and a defence still being built 
The opener in Memphis went badly. Ty Jerome scored a career-high 45, the Grizzlies shot 47% from the field and 38% from three, and Utah gave up 23 fast-break points. Will Hardy called it “a pretty ugly game”.
There were individual positives. Keyonte George led the Jazz with 22 points and five assists, Lauri Markkanen had 18 and nine rebounds, and Ace Bailey blocked three shots. Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick, started and scored nine in 31 minutes, though only two came after halftime.
Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled out after 28 minutes in that game with 15 points and five turnovers. He was much better on Friday, scoring 24 and making the late plays at both ends against the Pelicans.
That win nearly slipped away. Utah led 62-52 at halftime, then committed eight turnovers and seven fouls in the third quarter while New Orleans shot 60% from three, and the Pelicans took a 90-86 lead into the fourth. Jaxson Hayes came off the bench for 17 and closed the game.
Hardy has already changed the starting five, moving Hayes to the bench and starting Bailey alongside Markkanen and Jackson, with George and Peterson in the backcourt. The bigger lineup hasn’t fixed the rebounding yet, and the Lakers have a center who’s shooting 85%.
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Los Angeles Lakers: Reaves on 10 of 13, Doncic still finding the ball security 
Austin Reaves led the way against the Clippers with 28 points and nine assists on 10 of 13 shooting, including 3 of 5 from deep. He also had six turnovers, so ball security was a team-wide issue on Friday.
Doncic finished with 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 8 of 21, and the Lakers were plus-10 with him on the floor despite the 11 giveaways. In the opener against Golden State he had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The supporting cast has delivered. Ziaire Williams scored 14 and Quentin Grimes added 13 points and eight rebounds on Friday, and the game turned in the third quarter, which the Lakers won 39-26 after a 64-64 halftime.
The finish was looser. Darius Garland scored six points in an 8-0 run that cut the lead to 119-113 with 3:21 left, but the Clippers got no closer than six. The Lakers were 8.5-point favourites and won by eight.
Kessler is the matchup piece that worries me most from a Utah point of view. He’s 22 of 26 on the season with six blocks on Friday, and the Jazz were just beaten 55-38 on the glass by Memphis.
Probable lineup Utah Jazz: Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. (Friday’s starting five; not officially announced at time of publication)
Probable lineup Los Angeles Lakers: Not announced at time of publication
Free NBA Prediction: Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
Our prediction: Los Angeles Lakers to win
I’m on the Lakers. They’re scoring 126 a night, shooting the ball well, and they face a Utah team that has allowed 121 per game and needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat New Orleans by one at home.
The risk is the turnovers. Doncic and Reaves combined for 17 on Friday, and Utah have enough length with Bailey and Jackson to turn that into transition points. But the Jazz gave the ball away eight times in one quarter themselves, and they haven’t shown they can win the glass.
No price had been posted at the time of writing. The Lakers moneyline should sit somewhere close to the 1.45 floor, so if it opens shorter I’d switch to the Lakers on a handicap of around five points.
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