Luka Dončić had 37 points (17 in the third quarter) and 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run to beat the Utah Jazz 140-126.
It was tied at 91 when Jaxson Hayes’ free throw put the Lakers ahead for good with 2:25 left in the third quarter. Dončić scored 6 points as they pulled away to a 104-93 lead after three quarters, and they led by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points (11 in the second quarter) on 7 for 11 shooting, and Deandre Ayton added 20 points and 14 rebounds on 10 for 13 shooting. The Lakers had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Jazz, Keyonte George had 34 points and 8 assists, and Lauri Markkanen added 31 points. The Jazz had 2 30-point scorers.
The Lakers shot 59.5% from the field and 34.4% from 3 to the Jazz’s 52.2% and 28.9%. The Jazz got 8 offensive rebounds, about 4 fewer than usual for the shots they missed. The Lakers outscored the Jazz 74-56 in the paint. The Lakers outscored the Jazz 23-10 in 7 minutes with Smart, Dončić, Hachimura, Hayes and LaRavia on the floor together.