On Wednesday night, their momentum was expected to continue as they took on the Utah Jazz once again in a rematch of their Tuesday night clash that the Lakers won handily, 132-113. Alas, the Lakers did not give a good account of themselves in this rematch, floundering en route to a 131-119 loss.
The game may have been on the road, but this is still a contest that the Lakers should expect to win comfortably. After all, the Jazz are one of the worst teams in the association, and given their trajectory prior to the game, this was a game that they should have taken care of. But this was not to be, as according to JJ Redick, some Lakers players may have thought that getting the win “might be easy” after they won the first three meetings of the season, as per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
There was an uncharacteristic lethargy that plagued the Lakers on Wednesday; their paint defense, in particular, was as close to non-existent as it can get, and this showed just how big of a weakness it can be for them after trading Anthony Davis away and seeing their trade for Mark Williams fall through.
