Dončić scores 52 as Lakers erase 18-point deficit to beat Jazz in Utah
Trailing 47-29 after the first quarter, the Lakers turned the game around to beat the Jazz 132-123 in Salt Lake City on Sunday 25 October. Luka Dončić scored 52 points and added 10 assists, while Austin Reaves contributed 29 points for a Los Angeles side that remains unbeaten.
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The Lakers started slowly, then turned the game around well before half-time. Utah had opened up an eighteen-point lead after the first twelve minutes. Los Angeles responded with a 45-point second quarter to the Jazz's 24, a twenty-one-point swing that sent them into the dressing room ahead, 74-71.
A comeback that had to be built to the end
That turnaround was not enough to shake off Utah, though. The two teams scored 29 points each in the third quarter, leaving just three points between them going into the final period, 103-100. The Jazz were still very much in it, despite having squandered their early advantage.
Los Angeles eventually won the final quarter 29-23. Dončić hit back-to-back three-pointers to make it 127-121 with 1 minute 42 seconds remaining. Reaves then struck from long range in the closing seconds, before the Slovenian finished the job at the free-throw line. The Lakers found the scoring answers they needed in a game in which they had long been chasing the score.
Dončić and Reaves combine for 81 points
In 38 minutes, Dončić finished with 52 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. He made 17 of his 30 shots, including 8 of 18 from behind the arc, as well as 10 of 11 free throws. Reaves was his main support with 29 points, an excellent 4 of 5 from three-point range and 11 free throws from 13 attempts.
The difference from the outside weighed heavily: the Lakers made 20 three-pointers from 47 attempts, against 10 of 35 for Utah. That accuracy allowed them to make up for a rebounding battle that went heavily the Jazz's way, with 52 rebounds to Los Angeles's 31.
Utah did not lack firepower
Lauri Markkanen finished with 28 points. Keyonte George added 24 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 20 points, and Ace Bailey had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. That output was not enough to stop the Jazz from dropping their second game in three outings. The Lakers, meanwhile, made it three wins from three games.
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