The Utah Jazz crushed the Los Angeles Lakers by 33 points thanks to a strong performance by their bench. The Jazz remain undefeated in preseason action, improving to a 4-0 record. The Lakers drop to 1-3.

Kobe Bryant kept the Lakers close early in the first quarter, scoring a quick seven points, but as soon as he was benched, the Jazz went on a 6-0 run led by Trevor Booker. Utah closed the first period with a 25-20 lead.

The dominance started in the second quarter as Utah outscored Los Angeles 31-15. The Lakers went cold in the quarter, shooting just 7-of-19 from the field. Meanwhile, the Jazz bench started to pour it on the Lakers, taking a 21-point lead into intermission.

Kobe Bryant continues to look good but in this game, he had very little help, especially in the first half. The Lakers defense looked porous again, allowing 56 points in the first half and 119 for the game. What’s more, the injuries continued as Julius Randle left in the second quarter with an apparent injury. He did return to the game but was benched in the second half.

The thumping resumed in the second half as Gordon Hayward came alive for Utah scoring 14 of his 16 points in the third quarter. The Jazz lead grew to 34 points momentarily in the quarter, but the Lakers were able to cut it down to 24 points to end the period.

In the fourth quarter, Keith Appling, who is a training camp invite for the Lakers, suffered an injury as well. It is unfortunate as the young guy is trying out for an NBA roster, and tonight he was finally getting some play time thanks to injuries to Lakers point guards. The Jazz were able to effortlessly close out the game to win 119-86.

Kobe Bryant dropped 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 10-for-23 shooting. Carlos Boozer, who came on in the third quarter, put in 17 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor. Jordan Hill recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Jazz had five players in double figures, led by Hayward’s 16. Derrick Favors pushed in 15 points and snatched five boards. Dante Exum, who hasn’t had a pleasant preseason so far, played well in this one, scoring 15 points and handing out six assists. Rodney Hood and Trevor Booker were the other two in double digit scoring with 11 and 10 points respectively. The Jazz bench brutally outscored the Lakers bench 63-18. 

The Utah Jazz were a plus-24 from three-point distance, connecting on eight out of 18 three pointers. The Lakers went yet another game without a made three-point attempt. They went 0-for-5 in this game and were 0-for-3 in their last game. The team is following Coach Byron Scott’s orders as they are staying away from the three-point line. The Lakers have attempted a total of 29 three pointers in four preseason games.

Despite another blowout loss, Byron Scott is optimistic. “I think we’ll see (better play) once we get healthy,” Scott told reporters after the game. “If we can get healthy, we can assess who we are.”

The Los Angeles Lakers will have a chance to bounce back against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, October 19. The Jazz will, however, play the Los Angeles Clippers in their next game on Friday, October 17.