Utah Jazz maintained their lead at the top of the Western Conference with a comfortable 111-97 win over an understrength Los Angeles Lakers.
Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points, Joe Ingles added 21 with five 3-pointers and the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night, splitting their series with the defending NBA champs.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points as NBA-leading Utah avenged the Lakers’ 127-115 overtime victory on Saturday night.
The Jazz rested Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley Jr. and Derrick Favors in the first game on the second night of a back-to-back set, but all three returned for the rematch at Staples Center.
art.#PhotoOfTheGame | @verizon pic.twitter.com/4an3AYPiXd
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 20, 2021
“We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we can compete with any team in this league,” Favors said. “I think we’re going to see this team again down the road, so we just wanted to do the things we needed to get a win.”
Elsewhere, Devin Booker’s free throw with 0.3 seconds of overtime remaining helped the Phoenix Suns edge past the Milwaukee Bucks 128-127.
📹| JC & Joe with 20+, Rudy & Mike with double-doubles ⤵️#podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/Pl1jAsGNX4
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 20, 2021
The game ended in controversy, with PJ Tucker adjudged to have fouled Booker to set up the winning free-throw for the Suns as a second period of overtime loomed.
The Denver Nuggets needed double overtime to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 139-137, with Nikola Jokic scoring 47 points.
