Here is what you need to know before the Lakers go head-to-head with the Utah Jazz.
1) Lou Williams is coming off the best game of his career after dropping 44 points against Oklahoma City on Friday, which was also the most by a Laker other than Kobe Bryant since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003. Williams has been steaming lately, as he is averaging 25.6 points with 3.2 3-points and 8.0 free throws in his last five games.
2) The Lakers will be without second-overall pick D’Angelo Russell, who has been sidelined by a sprained ankle. Additionally, Brandon Bass is considered doubtful after being poked in his eye against the Thunder. However, Kobe Bryant will play despite shoulder soreness.
3) Like their hosts, the Jazz enter Sunday’s game a bit hobbled. Derrick Favors (back spasms) and Rodney Hood (sore right ankle) are uncertain after missing Saturday’s game against Miami, while Alec Burks is out with a fractured left fibula.
4) However, the Jazz will certainly have Gordon Hayward, who led them to victory over the Heat with a season-high 34 points. The 25-year-old does just about everything for his team, as he leads in scoring (19.2), assists (3.1), 3-point percentage (38.8) and triples (1.9).
5) Trey Burke is enjoying a much stronger campaign in coming off the bench this season. Last year, he shot the NBA’s worst field goal percentage (36.8), but now he is up to 43.1 percent.
6) After missing 18 games, Rudy Gobert returned for the Jazz on Thursday. The 7-foot-2 Frenchman held opponents to a league-low 40.5 percent shooting at the rim last year.
7) Utah is currently in line for the Western Conference eighth seed, which is pretty remarkable considering how young the team is. The Jazz roster has only 33 years of combined experience, which is the fewest of any team other than Philadelphia (26).
8) Utah runs the slowest pace in the NBA, tallying just 93.5 possessions per game. This has allowed the Jazz to grind down opponents, holding them to a league-low 18.9 assists and the second-fewest rebounds (40.0).
9) However, that sloth-like pace has also led to fewer offensive opportunities for Utah, which is last in assists (18.0) despite spreading around the NBA’s most passes (349.5).
10) The Jazz’s leader is a familiar face in L.A., as head coach Quin Snyder was an assistant in 2011-12. In his only season with under Mike Brown, Snyder and the Lakers went 41-25 and lost in the Western Conference Semifinals.
