Three Key Takeaways From Jazz’s Disappointing Loss to Lakers

The Jazz came right within reach of a late comeback effort in the fourth quarter, finding themselves in what would be a two-point deficit with five seconds to go on an inbound for Utah— a play that never got to develop as drawn up. Keyonte George would quickly fall to the court in some traffic, wouldn't get a foul call in his favor, and led to a last-second heartbreaker that kept the Jazz just short.

Will Hardy certainly wasn't happy with the decision as the buzzer sounded, and for good reason. Had that call gone their way, that's two free throws for Georgr and the Jazz at a defining point in the fourth quarter, and might've led to the end result turning their way.

Instead, the officials kept it physical as they had for most of the night, leaving Utah shorthanded.

The last two-minute report will be an interesting one to watch as it drops to see what the official ruling is. The Jazz certainly had many flaws throughout the night that led to their demise, particularly with their shooting efficiency. But the no-call on that final possession was a pivotal factor for how the outcome shook out for LA.

2. Keyonte George's Statement Year 3 Continues

The last play of the game can't overshadow the type of night that Keyonte George put together in a similarly impressive outing as he's had through a quality third-year pro.

In a night where the Jazz's offense never ended up firing on all cylinders, George offered a welcomed boost to help provide that spark. The third-year guard finished with a team-high 27 points on 10-23 shooting from the field with four threes, paired with five rebounds and eight assists as a key playmaker offensively that kept Utah afloat until the end.

It was his fourth-straight game with 20 points or more, and only his second with four or more threes in a single game.

Not the ideal result in the end, but it's becoming clearer with seemingly every passing game: George is on a mission in year three, and nights like this one against a top talent in the Western Conference are a perfect representation of the young talent Utah has budding in their backcourt.

3. Quiet Night for Lauri Markkanen

Outside of a nice fourth quarter stretch, for most of the night, the ball never quite ended up falling for Lauri Markkanen like he's been used to seeing through the first month of the season while he's had the hot hand.

Markkanen finished his 36 minutes with 20 points on 8-19 shooting from the field and a 2-7 clip from three-point range, pairing with seven rebounds and two assists. It's his fourth time this season shooting under 30% from three in a single game, and tied for his third-lowest scoring outing of the year.

Of course, one shaky night shooting the ball is nothing to sound the alarms over. They're bound to happen, even for Markkanen, who's had an All-Star-level campaign thus far. He'll be sure to get back on track to rattling off another 30-plus-point performance in due time, but that didn't quite come to fruition against Los Angeles.

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