James and the Lakers visit the Jazz
Los Angeles Lakers (31-44, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (45-31, fifth in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: LeBron James leads Los Angeles into a matchup against Utah. He leads the the NBA averaging 30.1 points per game.
The Jazz are 29-17 in conference matchups. Utah is sixth in the Western Conference with 10.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 3.6.
The Lakers have gone 16-29 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is eighth in the Western Conference with 24.1 assists per game led by Russell Westbrook averaging 7.1.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Lakers won the last matchup 106-101 on Feb. 17. James scored 33 points to help lead the Lakers to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26 points, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals for the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson is averaging 20.1 points over the last 10 games for Utah.
James averages 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Lakers, scoring 30.1 points while shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc. Westbrook is shooting 47.9% and averaging 17.8 points over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 4-6, averaging 111.8 points, 43.3 rebounds, 21.0 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.8 points per game.
Lakers: 3-7, averaging 115.7 points, 41.2 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 5.7 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: Udoka Azubuike: out (ankle), Danuel House Jr.: day to day (knee), Bojan Bogdanovic: day to day (calf), Hassan Whiteside: day to day (foot).
Lakers: Anthony Davis: day to day (foot), Kendrick Nunn: out (knee), LeBron James: day to day (ankle).
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