Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Postgame Grades and Analysis

The Los Angeles Lakers went wire to wire in a 110-99 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.



The Lakers were led by Kendall Marshall, who became the team's sixth starting point guard of the season and went off for 20 points, 15 assists and six rebounds. His playmaking set the tone early and carried L.A. throughout the game.



Pau Gasol seemed very happy playing with the new point guard, as he had perhaps his best game of the season, scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.

Utah was led by Gordon Hayward, who scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

 

Key Player Grades



Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers, Power Forward/Center

Gasol had very little trouble with the inexperienced front line of the Jazz on Friday night. He scored on them in the post, from the elbows and along the baseline.

He looked particularly comfortable in pick-and-pop situations with Marshall. Several times after Gasol set the ball screen, Marshall would hit him with a pass directly into the shooting pocket. 

The accurate passing contributed to a 10-of-17 shooting effort from the big man.

Grade: A+

 

Kendall Marshall, Los Angeles Lakers, Point Guard



Could there have been a more perfect fit for Marshall than a Mike D'Antoni-run offense?



The second-year point guard was a prolific passer at North Carolina, and the run-and-gun style of D'Antoni has made unlikely (and sometimes temporary) stars of the likes of Steve Blake, Chris Duhon and Jeremy Lin.



A willing passer in this system is bound to have some big games, and that's exactly what happened for Marshall on Friday.

Hopefully, that didn't come off as completely discrediting the player, though. There's a lot to be said for Marshall's willingness to distribute, and his ...

About the Author