National Basketball Association
Utah 86, L.A. Lakers 74
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, January 10, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #30 John Goble, #67 Brett Nansel, #28 Kevin Scott
Attendance: 18997

LOS ANGELES -- A steady diet of defense boosted the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.

Forward Gordon Hayward scored 25 points to spark the Jazz to an 86-74 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

Guard Rodney Hood, who played well despite a sore right ankle, had 14 points and six rebounds for Utah, which won for the second night in a row. The Jazz, who snapped a seven-game road skid, defeated the Miami Heat 98-83 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

"I think we stuck to our principles," Hayward said on why the Jazz were so successful defensively. "We kind of played (their) personnel pretty well. Not very many breakdowns throughout the whole game."

Guard Lou Williams, coming off scoring a career-high 44 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, had 18 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field for the Lakers, who lost their fourth straight. Williams missed seven of the eight 3-pointers he attempted.

"I think we really defended well the whole game, especially in the first half," said Hood, who hit six of 13 shots. "We got a little sloppy with the ball, but at the same time, we really played hard. Just correct some stuff, but four games in five nights, we're happy to come out with this win."

Los Angeles guard Jordan Clarkson had 14 points and four steals, and forward Julius Randle, who played through a bone bruise on his right foot, chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.

Both teams were missing key performers. Lakers forward Kobe Bryant sat out with a sore right Achilles tendon, missing his eighth game this season, and rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) and forward Brandon Bass (right eye corneal abrasion) also weren't available. Utah forward Derrick Favors (back spasms) was out.

The Lakers (8-31) tried to make runs in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz (17-20) turned them away. The closest the Lakers got was eight, when a dunk by Randle cut the deficit to 78-70 with 2:08 left, before Hayward hit a step-back jumper to push the advantage back to 10.

Two free throws by Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, with 1:08 left sliced the lead to eight again, but a dunk by Jazz center Rudy Gobert made it 82-72 and sealed the outcome with 49.9 seconds remaining.

"We got the shots that we wanted to take, we just couldn't make them," said Clarkson, who made only six of 19 attempts. "It was like there was a lid on the basket today, shots were rolling in and out. We were getting to the hole and taking open threes, they just weren't falling for us today."

The Jazz, who led by as many as 18 points, were up 43-30 at the break. They held the Lakers to their lowest first-half point total this season. The 74 points also were a season low for Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who missed 12 of their initial 13 shots from the floor, managed just 28.6 percent shooting to 42.1 percent for the Jazz in the first two quarters.

Overall, the Jazz shot 44.9 percent from the field to 32.6 percent for the Lakers.

"I thought our effort was great and we played hard," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "We had a couple of stretches of wide-open shots that went in and out."

NOTES: Utah earned a 20-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Jazz also had a slight edge in points in the paint, 42-36. ... The Jazz have 12 players on their roster 25 years or younger. Utah has a combined age of 24.3 years, fifth youngest in the NBA. ... The Lakers are 22-9 against the Jazz at Staples Center. ... The two clubs will meet again Saturday in Salt Lake City. ... Los Angeles has shot 90 percent or better from the foul line on five occasions this season, the last time on Friday in a 117-113 loss to Oklahoma City. The Lakers were 24 of 25 (96 percent). For the season through Saturday, the Lakers were hitting 76.9 percent of their free throws. The Jazz were shooting 75.4 percent. ... The Lakers host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. The Jazz visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   L.A. Lakers
Gordon Hayward 25 Scoring Lou Williams 18
Rodney Hood 4 Assists Lou Williams 6
Trey Lyles 9 Rebounds Larry Nance Jr. 11
Trevor Booker 4 Free Throws Made Lou Williams 7
Rodney Hood 2 Steals Jordan Clarkson 4
Rudy Gobert 3 Blocks Jordan Clarkson 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 86 44.9 5-16 19-25 16 45 8 8 16
L.A. Lakers 74 32.6 3-21 13-15 15 41 4 9 11
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Lakers have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .194 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Jazz have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .500 after a loss.