Lakers defeat Jazz, will open playoffs at home against Houston - BERITAJA

All that mattered to the Lakers was maintaining the correct attack during their last crippled of the NBA regular play connected Sunday.

They were still successful contention for a higher seed successful the Western Conference, but the Lakers were not focused connected that. They were facing 1 of the worst teams successful the convention successful the Utah Jazz, but the Lakers were not focused connected that.

Game 82 was simply about the Lakers continuing to build the correct habits, and by doing truthful they defeated the Jazz 131-107 astatine Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers were alert that they were playing simultaneously arsenic the Denver Nuggets, the squad they were chasing for the 3rd seed successful the West. But the Nuggets hit the Spurs and are the No. 3 seed.

The Lakers (53-29) are the fourth-seeded squad and will person home-court advantage complete the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets successful the first information of the playoffs. Game 1 will beryllium Saturday astatine 5:30 p.m. astatine Crypto.com Arena.

With LeBron James starring the measurement pinch 18 points, six assists and 4 rebounds, each successful the first half successful conscionable 17 minutes, the Lakers won their 3rd consecutive game, which was a bully motion for them because it was their 5th consecutive crippled without Luka Doncic (Grade 2 near hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 near oblique musculus strain).

“Again, we power what we could power and we play to our standards,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said earlier the game. “And we request to proceed sloppy of [the] opponent. And this has been the messaging for the past six weeks: Building the playoff mentality is about us. It’s not about the opponent. I wanna opportunity again: Building our playoff mentality is about america and it’s not about the opponent. So, we’re gonna do that coming and that’s the extremity for today.”

The Jazz person the worst grounds successful the West and were playing for thing but a precocious lottery pick, and near pinch different nonaccomplishment that near them astatine 22-60.

The Lakers sewage a double-double from Deandre Ayton (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (22 points, 10 rebounds).

Bronny James had a beardown crippled disconnected the chair pinch 11 points connected four-for-seven shooting, three-for-four connected 3 pointers, and 4 assists. Dalton Knecht had 12 points.

Jake LaRavia (two points) played successful each 82 games this season, the only Laker to execute that feat, making him the 45th subordinate successful franchise history to do so. Reaves (2023-24) was the past Laker to person played successful each regular-season game.

Marcus Smart attempts a reverse layup against the Utah Jazz connected Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers were the higher seed successful the past season’s playoffs, too, but they mislaid their opening-round bid to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1.

Like past season, the Lakers person a week earlier playing Game 1 of their best-of-seven series, but they person been preparing for the postseason for a while now.

“Yeah, we started moving connected that a mates weeks ago, my unit and I, and past we met pinch capacity earlier this week and we’ve sewage a scheme successful spot and consciousness beautiful assured about it,” Redick said.

The Lakers signed defender Nick Smith Jr. to a modular NBA contract, the squad announced Sunday. Smith played successful 29 games for the Lakers earlier Sunday, averaging 6.0 points and 1.0 assists successful 12.3 minutes per game. Smith had 12 points against the Jazz.