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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Although the Los Angeles Lakers have not won a lot of defense games in the past five years, LeBron James can inspire his new teammates to all sorts of exploits that seemed impossible. Not so long ago.
James had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and he took control of a lousy match with nine points in the fourth quarter of the seventh win in eight Lakers games, 90-83 on Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Brandon Ingram scored 24 points as the Lakers struggled to get back into their first game after a road trip in the East Conference, but nevertheless persevered to win the final victory of the first round of the Eastern Conference. 7-1 franchise since the last eight games of the 2012-13 season.
Although the Lakers showed signs of a dynamic offensive team around James, there was no visible sign against the underused Jazz, apart from Ingram's particularly aggressive performance. The Lakers made 24 turnovers and only 10 assists in one night. They struggled to qualify for the break and tripped in half-court sets.
They have produced one of their best defensive games of the season, limiting Utah to the number of points scored by an opponent in Los Angeles since last February.
"There will be games in which you will not shoot the ball well, and tonight we have returned the ball," said James. We are trying to be a very good team, and there will be games where we have to do it defensively. We did that tonight. & # 39; & # 39;
Neither team took command in the second half, until James managed a layup and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions with 3:15 to play. James then blocked a shot by Alec Burks in the final seconds while Los Angeles held on to prevent his seven-game play against Utah.
"We have never really taken the pace by shooting in the ball," said Lakers coach Luke Walton. & # 39; & # 39; Part of Utah is a very good defensive team, and others were playing basketball a bit selfish. There were positions for which we should have made extra passes, and we stick to that all the time. We will continue to talk about it. & # 39; & # 39;
Donovan Mitchell scored four points before suffering rib injuries in the second quarter and not coming back, depriving the Jazz of its best producer and aggravating its huge offensive struggles. The Jazz will not provide an update on Mitchell's condition until Saturday.
"He is our top scorer, so that affects the game," said Utah coach Quin Snyder. & # 39; & # 39; This is not a crutch or an excuse. I liked the fact that we continued to compete. & # 39; & # 39;
Burks scored 17 points and Joe Ingles had 16 points, but the Jazz lost three times in a row and five out of six.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Mitchell was 2 years out of 9 and had two twists before his injury. … Rudy Gobert had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Lakers: Josh Hart played 14 minutes without scoring despite a tendon tendon left ankle. … After returning home at 4 am on Thanksgiving after a trip to Florida and Cleveland, Los Angeles started a six-in-seven sequence at Staples Center. … JaVale McGee had 12 points, and Ball added nine points and 10 rebounds.
MALAYSIA AFTER TURKEY
Neither team did much to stand out in the first match of Thanksgiving. The Lakers beat Utah to less than 30% of their shots during most of the first half, but they then lost 11 points in the last three and a half minutes while performing 13 turnovers. in the first half.
Ingram and Lonzo Ball were the main contributors to Los Angeles early in the day, as the two young people were hit hard. James had only four points in 16 minutes at half-time, and he had only five assists in the first 21 goals of the stunned Lakers striker.
BECOME DEFENSIVE
While the Lakers have had their own success in defense, the Jazz are among the best defensive teams in the NBA. Utah limited the Lakers to 13 points and only five offensive rebounds in addition to 24 turnovers.
"If we do not shoot, we have to do something else to try to win, and tonight it was playing in defense," said Thabo Sefolosha. "It worked for us, but we could not make it work on the other end."
FOLLOWING
Jazz: Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Lakers: Organize the Orlando Magic Sunday.
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