NBA · 1 hour ago

Lakers vs. Jazz Preview: Final Contest of the Regular Season

Carlos Yakimowich

Host · Writer

Los Angeles Lakers (52–29) vs. Utah Jazz (22–59) | Game 82 of 82

WHERE TO WATCH AND WHAT TIME

Date: Sunday, April 12

Tip-off: 5:30 p.m. PT

Location: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California

TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Radio: ESPN LA 710 / 1330 KWKW

GAME PREVIEW

The Lakers close out their regular season at home with a chance to improve their playoff positioning, hosting the Utah Jazz in Game 82.

Los Angeles enters the finale riding momentum after back-to-back wins, after starting April on three straight losses, beating the Phoenix Suns, which secured home-court advantage in the first round.

With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves still sidelined, the Lakers have leaned heavily on LeBron James to orchestrate the offense and Luke Kennard to run point guard. James is coming off another near triple-double performance and has helped stabilize L.A. during a critical stretch.

His status, however, remains worth monitoring, as he is listed as questionable due to a foot injury.

WHERE THEY STAND

The Lakers (52–29) remain No. 4 in the Western Conference entering the final contest of the regular season.

And Coach JJ Redick shared how proud he was of this Lakers team after their Friday win, expressing how much they’ve overcome, even as some had them worse than they were now.

“I know none of you guys had us in the top four to start the season," Redick said. “Most people had us as a play-in team or even worse…"

With a win over Utah and a Nuggets loss, L.A. can clinch the No. 3 seed heading into the postseason.

So monitoring who San Antonio and Denver start will be important as the Nuggets sat their starters and still managed to beat the Thunder on Friday, who also sat most of their starters.

QUICK OPPONENT RUNDOWN

The Jazz (22–59) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference and have long been eliminated from playoff contention.

Utah recently snapped a 10-game losing streak after blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies by 46 points on Friday in a tank-for-tank showdown that featured four of five starters on the Grizzlies playing on 10-day contracts.

Despite the result, the Jazz have leaned into a youth movement late in the season, frequently rotating lineups and managing minutes as they position themselves for the future.

Lauri Markkanen leads the team with 26.7 points per game, while Keyonte George has emerged as a primary playmaker, averaging 23.6 points and 6.1 assists.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Finishing strong.

With playoff seeding still in play, the Lakers cannot afford a letdown against a team with nothing to lose.

Even with Utah’s record, its young core has shown the ability to score in bunches when playing freely. For L.A., maintaining defensive intensity, coming off a game where they allowed the least amount of points (73).

If James is limited or unable to go, the Lakers will need continued production from their supporting cast, including Marcus Smart, Kennard, and recently extended (to a two-year deal) Nick Smith Jr., to carry the offensive load.