Those from LA host the Jazz at the Crypto.com Arena in search of a place in the Western Conference semifinal of the NBA In-Season Tournament. The Angelenos start as the big favorites to advance but for this they will have to leave out a good Utah squad. On the other hand, the Jazz arrive at a good time and are looking to find a better rhythm by placing themselves in twelfth place in their conference, while the Lakers seem to have found a rhythm and are gradually climbing positions to get into the Top of the West. A very interesting confrontation is expected between both teams and this has caught the attention of fans by putting great NBA figures like LeBron James and Anthony Davis face to face against the young figures of a new generation like Lauri Markkanen. Utah arrives with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses, which placed them as one of the best second places in the championship, on the other hand the Lakers finished the group stage with a record of 4 wins and 0 losses. Both teams were part of Group A and faced each other in the first round with a victory for the Angelenos by a score of 131 to 99.
Players to follow?
The players to watch are LeBron James for the Lakers and Lauri Markkanen of the Jazz.
Year 21 for LeBron James, the top figure of the Los Angeles Lakers, who will seek to get the Los Angeles team to the Playoffs again. The Lakers star finished the regular season in a great moment, leading the team on offense with an average of 30.3 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. Although LeBron had a great season and was among the MVP candidates, this could not reflect his great year for the Los Angeles team. The physical condition of the team was one of the big problems and this led the board to rejuvenate the squad around its best player. Lebron's connection with Austin Reaves and the health of Anthony Davis will be critical to this team's aspirations. The King is one of the candidates for the MVP of the regular season, the doubts focus more on what the Lakers can do.
On the other hand, Lauri Markkanen, Utah's power forward, is leading the team on offense as its best scorer and rebounder with an average of 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Markkanen is in a great moment and is taking advantage of the team's good moment to be at the top of the Western Conference, and he was also considered for the All-Star Game last season. Without a doubt, the power forward's connection with Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley and John Collins is bringing fruit to a team with low spotlights but worth watching. The Finn has surprised this season, as has his team, and is attracting the spotlight of the press.
Other important figures in this game are Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis for the Angelenos, as well as Jordan Clarkson and John Collins for Utah.
This will be the second time that both teams meet this season and, without a doubt, it is a very interesting duel to follow closely.
Where and what time is the game?
The game will take place at the Crypto.com Arena located in the city of Los Angeles, in this regular season duel between two teams seeking to continue their path within the 2023-2024 NBA in their respective conference. This stadium has capacity for 21,000 fans and was inaugurated in 1999.
The duel between Lakers and Jazz will take place on Tuesday, December 5 with the following times in different countries:
- 21 hours in Mexico
- 22 hours in the United States (ET)
- 22 hours in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru
- 23 hours in Bolivia and Venezuela
- 00 hours in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.
- 04 hours in Spain
The Lakers are the big favorite as they have a great moment within the squad compared to the Utah squad, however, the Jazz come adding victories and it seems that they are beginning to go through a better moment, which could be important and they will want to continue so in the competition.
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