Utah snaps a five-game losing streak with 122-109 win over Lakers

The Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122-109 on Thursday night, snapping a five-game losing run. Donovan Mitchell had 29 points while Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 17 rebounds.

Mitchell said, "It was huge to get a win. The negativity and the losses and all that pressure were more external, but it was not an ideal time to have a five-game losing streak. So it’s nice to celebrate this one tonight."

The game details

In his return from injury, Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18 and Bojan Bogdanovic added 11 as the Jazz continued their bid to avoid a Western Conference play-in game.

Utah led from start to finish, its fourth game of the season in which it did not trail. But the Lakers stayed in the game until Gobert smacked down Mitchell's miss with 2:54 left to make it 120-104.

The Lakers were without LeBron James (ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis, but Russell Westbrook had 24 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds (foot sprain). Howard scored in double figures for the second time in his past 12 games, including a step-back 3-pointer.

Since beating the Jazz on February 16, the Lakers have lost five of their last six games and are now 4-14. Against Utah, they used their 37th different starting lineup.

Utah's losing streak included a humbling loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, when it lost a 25-point lead. This season, the Jazz have lost 14 games in which they had a double-digit lead.

When the Lakers cut the deficit to 113-103 on Talen Horton-3-pointer, Tucker's there was an audible apprehensive hum among the Jazz fans as they braced for another collapse. On the other hand, the Lakers were unable to consistently get enough stops to keep the game intriguing.

Both clubs have been hampered by disappointing losses and expectations that have not been met. Injuries have contributed to some of the declines, with James missing three of the Lakers' last four games and Davis missing 18 games.

Bogdanovic's nine-game absence due to a calf strain and House's knee bruise has coincided with Utah's losing ways. During the skid's first three games, Hassan Whiteside has been out with a foot strain and will miss the Lakers' game.

The Jazz were successful in transition, outscoring Los Angeles 14-2 on fast breaks. The Jazz not only stymied the Lakers' offense, but they also took away their perimeter shots, as Los Angeles only made seven 3-pointers.

When Conley, Mitchell, Bogdanovic, Royce O'Neale, and Gobert are in the lineup, the Jazz are 28-11 on the season.

Tip-in

Trevor Ariza had a season-high two blocked shots for the Lakers. The Lakers shot 34 for 58 from the free-throw line. Malik Monk had 14 points and Carmelo Anthony had 12.

Utah had only one turnover in the first quarter, which occurred with 17.6 seconds remaining. In the third quarter, Gobert, who had been yelling at the refs throughout the game, was ultimately given a technical foul. The team made 15 of 44 3-point attempts, falling short of their goal of 40 per game.