Jazz at Lakers
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers are quietly the hottest team in the Western Conference. With all the headlines the Lakers generate off the court, it might be easy to overlook an on-court product that has won five straight and is within 1 ½ games of the No. 2 spot in the West. The visiting Utah Jazz are one of a handful of teams fighting for the bottom slots in the playoff puzzle.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSSW+ (Utah), FSW (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (22-22): Utah at home is one of the best teams in the league. A 99-92 overtime victory over Golden State on Saturday improved the Jazz’s record at EnergySolutions Arena to 17-6. The problem is on the road, where Utah has is just 5-16 and has dropped three straight. The Jazz managed to crawl back to .500 by making the plays at the end in each of the last two contests, stealing a 111-105 overtime win over visiting Minnesota on Thursday and edging the Warriors on Saturday. Utah beat the Lakers in Salt Lake City 96-87 on Feb. 4, behind a 14-0 fourth-quarter run. But their lone trip to the Staples Center resulted in a 96-71 setback on Dec. 27.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (28-16): Los Angeles has dealt with the dismissal of popular point guard Derek Fisher, welcoming replacement Ramon Sessions to the team on Friday. While Kobe Bryant and others will miss Fisher’s leadership, Sessions showed in a short stint against the Timberwolves the different dynamic that his speed brings to the offense. The under-appreciated part of the trade deadline maneuvering was that Pau Gasol, whose fate had been up in the air since training camp, is now guaranteed a spot in the lineup for the rest of the season. The Lakers are 2 ½ games ahead of the Clippers in the Pacific Division and are creeping up on the second-place San Antonio Spurs.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Lakers are starting Steve Blake at point guard until Sessions gets more comfortable in the offense.
2. Utah won at Los Angeles 86-85 on April 5, 2011.
3. Sessions scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting against Utah when he was with Cleveland on March 5.