The Los Angeles Lakers ended their regular season with a statement win Sunday, ripping the Utah Jazz 131-107 at Crypto.com Arena to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage for a first-round date with the Houston Rockets. Game 1 tips at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, a fitting reward for a 53-29 finish and a closing three-game win streak.
LeBron James wasted no time setting the tone, piling up 18 points, six assists and four rebounds in the first half before shutting it down early as a precaution, according to the Los Angeles Times. With James watching the second half, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura took over, each posting 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Bronny James chipped in 11 off the bench as the Lakers cruised past a Jazz team that finished 22-60.
The official numbers back up the blowout. The NBA.com box score notes that Jake LaRavia was the only Laker to appear in all 82 games and confirms Los Angeles’ 53-29 record and No. 4 seed, which puts the Lakers in the higher slot when they host Houston to open the series.
Not everything is on cruise control, though. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remain out with Grade 2 hamstring and oblique strains, respectively, forcing coach JJ Redick to juggle rotations and minutes, the Associated Press reports via the Houston Chronicle. The team also converted guard Nick Smith Jr. to a standard NBA contract Sunday, making him playoff-eligible after averaging roughly six points in limited run this season.
Redick doubles down on process
Redick sounded more focused than celebratory after the win, leaning on his season-long mantra of consistency. “Again, we control what we can control and we play to our standards,” he said, as recorded by the Los Angeles Times. He added that the coaching and performance staff met this week to map out minutes and conditioning plans heading into the matchup with Houston.
For now, the Lakers get a rare luxury in a long season: a few days to fine-tune lineups, watch the injury report and lean into home-court advantage. Fans, meanwhile, can circle Saturday on the calendar and sort out tickets and broadcast details through league and team channels as the Rockets come to town for a first-round opener that suddenly feels a little bigger than just Game 1.
