Lakers vs. Jazz: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

Points haven't always flowed at a steady pace for the Utah Jazz (30-18) this season, but they've been able to lean on their defense to pick up the slack in a pinch. 

Thursday's 96-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers (16-34) at Vivint Smart Home Arena was a prime example. 

Although the Jazz shot 40.7 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from three and boasted just three double-figure scorers, they clamped down and prevented the Lakers' slew of volume scorers from catching fire. 

All told, the Lakers shot 42.9 percent from the field and 4-of-14 from three on a night when they were led by 20 points from Lou Williams. Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac added 16 points apiece off the bench, but it wasn't enough as only one Lakers starter (Nick Young, 13 points) finished in double figures. 

Gordon Hayward was Utah's steadiest scorer in the uneven outing, compiling 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Rudy Gobert added nine points and 13 rebounds, but his most significant contributions came in the form of six blocks. 

However, it was evident throughout the early going that the Jazz didn't have a significant upper hand even though the Lakers were on the second night of a back-to-back.

Utah's offense sputtered to concerning degrees against the Lakers' porous defense, and three-point attempts repeatedly clanged off iron during a disappointing 44-point first half. 

Quin Snyder's defense also wasn't up to snuff as the second quarter came to a close, and it reflected poorly on a team that appeared to be going through the motions at times, according to Basketball Insiders' Ben Dowsett: 

But once the third quarter rolled around, the Jazz were able to remedy their woes in the energy department.

Gobert anchored the defense with elite rim protection, and he denied the Lakers repeatedly to spark the Jazz in a big way, as the NBA showed on Twitter: 

The Jazz proceeded to rip off a 16-0 run to take a 10-point lead through three quarters, and the momentum shift was exemplified by a monster alley-oop from Joe Ingles to Hayward: 

With the Lakers reeling, the Orange Country Register's Bill Oram noted there weren't many silver linings L.A. could turn to after 36 minutes: 

Utah was able to maintain a grip on the lead, but the Lakers showed some encouraging fight down the stretch when they used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four with under five minutes remaining. 

L.A. continued to hang around through the game's closing stages, but a full-fledged comeback wasn't in the cards as Utah came up with just enough crunch-time buckets to keep Luke Walton's squad at bay. 

Now that their two-game losing streak has been snapped, the Jazz can refocus and set their sights on a suddenly attainable No. 4 seed thanks, in part, to the Los Angeles Clippers' injury woes. 

In order to keep the good mojo flowing, though, the Jazz will have to come up with a big effort against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. 

The same can't be said for the Lakers, who have lost three in a row.

If there's any good news, though, it's that the Lakers will be off until Tuesday as they go back to the drawing board and seek to snap out of a funk that's consumed them since the calendar flipped over.

Postgame Reaction

After the win, Hayward spoke to TNT about Thursday's All-Star nod and the win, as Utah's official Twitter account documented: 

He also offered some thoughts on whether Gobert's All-Star snub could motivate him moving forward: "I don't think he needs it [the motivation]," he said, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "He's out to prove that he's the best big man in the league."

The Lakers, meanwhile, focused on what's to come rather than dwelled on the loss. 

According to Mike Trudell of the team's official website, Walton told reporters he hopes to have D'Angelo Russell (knee, calf) and Julius Randle (illness) back for Tuesday's game against the Denver Nuggets. 

Zubac, in particular, sounded excited about the idea of teaming up with Russell now that he's a regular in Walton's rotation, per Trudell: 

However, Zubac did note that he's not satisfied simply because he's been able to post impressive numbers in recent games. 

"I’m trying to do my best but it’s not good if we don’t get a win, it doesn’t feel right, whatever I do...when we lose," he said on Spectrum Sportsnet, per Lakers Nation's Serena Winters.