Russell Westbrook #0, LeBron James #6 and Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers check on teammate Anthony Davis #3 after an injury in the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images/AFP
LeBron James scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to Anthony Davis and emerged with a 106-101 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Davis scored 17 points in just 17 minutes for the Lakers, leaving with three minutes remaining in the first half when he rolled his right ankle. He did not return. Russell Westbrook also had 17 points for Los Angeles, which ended a three-game losing streak.
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 of his 37 points in the first half for the Jazz, who led by 12 points with 6:35 remaining. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 points for the Jazz, whose six-game winning streak ended.
James powered a 14-2 run to tie the game 94-all on a 3-pointer with 2:57 remaining. After a Mitchell miss on the other end, Westbrook fed James in the lane for a thunderous dunk and a 96-94 Lakers advantage with 2:08 to play.
👑 33 PTS | 8 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL 👑@KingJames was DOMINANT down the stretch scoring 15 points in the 4th quarter to overcome a 14 point deficit and secure the @Lakers WIN! #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/yrCVIEuKJq
— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2022
It’s very deflating to see AD go down the way he did,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “There’s an energy you have to overcome and there’s how we adjust tactically.
“Credit our guys for hanging in there and continuing to fight,” added Vogel, who said Westbrook was a key motivator during the timeouts.
“And what we saw LeBron do was just remarkable,” Vogel said. “At this point in his career, to take over in the fourth quarter the way he did with just energy and will and determination was just really something special.”
After Utah tied the game on two Mike Conley free throws, James struck again with a 3-pointer for a 99-96 lead with 1:24 remaining. Austin Reeves sealed the victory on a 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds remaining for a 103-99 advantage.
The Lakers started fast, grabbing an 11-0 lead 3:19 into the game. Utah opened 0 of 4 from the field with two turnovers. But the Jazz rallied quickly and had their first lead at 23-21 with 2:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Lakers led briefly in the second quarter before the Jazz took a 53-46 advantage into the break. Utah took its first double-digit lead of the game at 64-54 with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter and were up 79-71 heading into the fourth.
Malik Monk scored 13 points for the Lakers, who outscored the Jazz 35-22 in the fourth quarter. Despite playing without Davis for half the game, the Lakers won the rebounding battle 44-41.
Jordan Clarkson added 13 points for the Jazz, while Royce O’Neale added 10. Utah’s Rudy Gobert had a game-high 11 rebounds. With reports from Agence France-Presse