LA Lakers 116 - 108 Utah Jazz: Twitter sings praises of Anthony Davis for 40-point game, trolls Jordan Clarkson| NBA 2019-20
Both the LA Lakers and the Utah Jazz came into this game having won their first game by 2 points and gotten blown out in their second. The LA Lakers were placed 1st in the NBA's Western Conference with a 50-15 record, while the Utah Jazz were 5th in the Conference at 42-24. This game was a precursor to a possible Conference Semifinals matchup.
Twitter reacts to Utah Jazz vs LA Lakers
The game started off on a really close note. The two teams were tied at 15 points apiece at the midway point of the first quarter, and their bench players did not score much in the initial period. The game remained close up until halftime, when the LA Lakers headed to the locker room with a 58-56 lead over the Utah Jazz.
Anthony Davis is one of the most prolific foul-baiters in the NBA. Prior to this game, he had been to the charity stripe 26 times in 2 games since the NBA restart. The LA Lakers clearly rely on him for their volume scoring, and they force-fed him the ball right from the off. Davis had 17 shots in the first half alone, to go with 10 free throw attempts.
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The LA Lakers fell behind early in the 3rd quarter after starting off the blocks slow. But they clawed their way back by the end of the quarter and established themselves firmly in the drivers' seat with an 86-76 lead by the close of the quarter. The 9 turnovers they forced by the Utah Jazz in the period proved pivotal.
Davis earned tons of plaudits for his dominant performance against the best defensive center in the NBA on the night. AD finished with 42 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes of game time. The way he took on Gobert and drained a step-back 3-pointer for a 4-point play on the final meaningful possession of the game was nuts.
Besides Anthony Davis's 5th 40-point game of the season, there wasn't much for viewers to think about. Except for former LA Lakers player and current Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, who had a STINKER of a game. Clarkson couldn't hit a barn door with a bazooka on the day, and finished with only 2 made field goals and 6 points on 13 attempts.
The refereeing was found by many viewers to be iffy on the night, and they didn't hesitate to let their feelings known to other Twitterati.
So all in all, this was just another day in the life of a Utah Jazz fan. Travesties galore in a game against contenders that they lost through their carelessness.
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