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The Lakers could be without their key man in the paint tonight

Pau Gasol allegedly didn't even travel with his team to SLC but there hasn't been a definite decision on his performance

Utah Jazz have returned to their EnergySolutions Arena after a relatively successful run of five away games. Tyrone Corbin's boys missed a chance to end it with a positive score on Monday when they were defeated in Memphis by 104-94. The Jazzers did alright until the very end of the third period when they allowed the Grizzlies to make a 22-9 run that gave them a +16 lead and settled the matter of the winner here.

- I think our effort was apparent. We fought. We had several poor periods but the boys are fighting and as a result, we get the chances to win the games. We simply weren't able to make that final step - coach Tyrone Corbin was happy despite the defeat as his team got 46,7 % of the shots, including the 24 attempts for 3 points. 


- I think we had a solid tour. Our ratio was 2-3. Many people didn't expect that from us. I think we could have won one more game in Memphis or Atlanta. They have good teams. We simply try to improve and learn from our mistakes - said Trey Burke who got 18 points and 5 assists on Monday.


The Jazzers could be without their experienced Richard Jefferson who is having some problems with his back and the decision on his performance will be made before the game starts. Even though they have enough players that can replace him, the Salt Lake City team cannot allow themselves to have too many absent players considering the offensive problems they have been having throughout this season, and especially in the last six games during which they scored 88,5 points with 41,2 percent field goal.


Their offensive shortcomings should not be too apparent against the LA Lakers who are among the worst defensive teams in the league. After two defeats against the Suns and the Warriors, the boys from Hollywood gave the reigning champions a run for their money on Christmas even though Miami left the Staples Center with a 101-95 win. Even though they were without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers had a 10-point lead at one point during the game, and this was their deficit that they didn't manage to cover in the end, despite their efforts.


- We have to build on this intensity, effort and concentration that we showed on Wednesday and transfer it to the next game. We mustn't get back to our bad habits that cost us the games against the Warriors and the Suns. We really have to do our best against the Jazz. We have a good chance to get a nice away win and we will try to do so - commented Pau Gasol who got 13 points (6/12) and as many rebounds.


The crucial link in the Lakers' offense might not play due to respiratory infection that kept him out of court for one game last week. The Spaniard allegedly didn't even travel to SLC, but more will be known after the shooting practice. His potential absence could really hurt the Lakers as they have the worst rebound ratio in the league (-5), but luckily for them, they aren't facing a team that is too powerful in terms of rebounds (-2,5). Especially since the Lakers will, in case Gasol really is absent, put Nick Young into the game who has had an average of 20,8 points in the last 6 games. 

The Jazzers are currently the worst team of the West Conference, but they seem to be getting back to life lately. They had a 2-3 record on the tour, the Hawks and Grizzlies had to work really hard to break them, but this bet is not so much for them, as it is against the Lakers, who are visiting one of the most packed arenas with quite a decimated team. Bryant, Blake, and Nash are still out, but there's a possibility of Pau Gasol not playing today either - he's been doing great lately, which was sometimes maybe not obvious from his stats, but he truly was the key man both in offense and defense. The Lakers' offense depended on his high post game almost entirely, especially while Farmara was gone. That nearly made Gasol a point guard. If he really doesn't play, the Lakers will depend on Nick Young entirely. He is fun to watch, but he's far from a reliable player. The Lakers's will have nothing to offer in the key without Gasol, both in defense and offense. I would not be surprised if they lose by a great number of points.