Jazz vs Lakers: In-Season Tournament Group Play Finale Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers face the Utah Jazz in a must-win game to secure their spot in the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.

The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for their fourth and final group play game in the NBA's Inaugural In-Season Tournament, where they will face off against the Utah Jazz. This game will determine whether the Lakers secure their spot in the quarterfinals in Las Vegas in early December.

The stakes are high for the Lakers in this group play finale. A win would give them a perfect 4-0 record in Group A and solidify their place in the quarterfinals as the winner of the group. However, a loss could potentially give the Jazz the group victory, leaving the Lakers to hope for one of the two Wild Card spots that remain after the six group winners.

In the event of a loss, both the Jazz and Lakers would have a 3-1 record, and the head-to-head record in the Tournament is the first tiebreaker. If the Phoenix Suns also finish group play with one loss, then a three-way tiebreaker based on point differential would come into play.

Thankfully, the Lakers are expected to be close to full strength for this crucial game. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who were listed on the injury report, are good to go. However, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent remain out, as they have been for the last few weeks.

The Jazz, on the other hand, are without center Walker Kessler but are otherwise healthy. The duo of Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson have been standout performers during the In-Season Tournament. Markkanen has scored 26, 21, and 21 points in his first three games, while Clarkson has posted 26, 30, and 37. Clarkson, in particular, has been averaging 29.6 points per game in his last five outings.

This puts pressure on the Lakers, especially Anthony Davis, to keep Markkanen in check. The Lakers guards will also need to ensure that Clarkson doesn't have another standout performance. The Jazz may have a 4-9 record this season, but they have proven that anything can happen in a one-off game, with a 2-1 record in the tournament.

The Lakers are coming off five wins in their last six games and are looking to continue their success while securing their place in the knockout stages of the In-Season Tournament. Key reserves for the Lakers include Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Christian Wood, while the Jazz will look to Collin Sexton, Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Simone Fontecchio to make an impact.