LAL vs UTA Dream11 Prediction NBA Live, Fantasy Basketball Dream11 Team, Top Picks and Tips for LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz

LAL vs UTA Dream11: As the NBA midseason has arrived, we have seen what most teams are all about and with the trade deadline closing in, most of the teams have some issues to fix and many of them will surely make some trades. And one of those teams that will feature here in Los Angeles Lakers can surely make some moves, while their opponent Utah Jazz may have fared way better but they have some issues of their own.

Lakers have won 21 and lost 22 games and their season has been more than underwhelming. After pairing up Westbrook, Monk, and Carmelo with LeBron and Davis, there were calls for a championship run but the Lakers have been so terrible defensively, that a first-round exit looks like the best result at this point. They have lost three in a row, that is fine, many elite teams go through such a phase but it is the manner of the losses that have made the Lakers fans scream in agony all season long.

Jazz fans have been no less frustrated lately, a tough spell where the team played some abysmal defense especially when the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert got in COVID-19 protocols. Still, with a 29 wins and 14 losses record, they have been miles ahead of the Lakers all season long and have more potential than LA considering both team’s current core. Will they make some moves?

Host: LA Lakers
Visitors: Utah Jazz
Match Timing: 18 January, @ 09:00 AM
Venue: Crypto.com Arena

NBA Projections, Stats & Analysis

Lakers: No hustle
Lakers’ defense is one of the worst in the league, no matter what is the nature of the opposition, they are unable to hold the defensive end almost during all games. No matter which position is, there is a lack of communication, a lack of effort, and no semblance of a fight, the players are literally walking on the court at times. With LeBron scooping up big-time points, the load on him is so high on the offensive end, that now he is in his late 30s, he is not the same defensive anchor as he was previously. Westbrook is not much of a perimeter defender, neither is Monk, Ariza, and Bradley don’t have the same impact. On the other hand, big Dwight Howard has declined defensively too. Overall, despite running a high-quality offense during most nights, the Lakers miss their rotations and allow so many points that it is almost impossible to get back in games. This spells a need for change because frankly, this Lakers team has been too disappointing on the defensive end, and perhaps a two-way wing/perimeter lockdown guard is needed apart from Davis’ return.

Jazz: Utah can get it together
Jazz has some defensive issues and when Gobert is not playing, these issues are especially visible. Utah has been a high-scoring team throughout the season but yes, if they were better defensively, they’d be counted among squads like Suns, Warriors, Bucks, etc. Right now, the Jazz only has one issue and that is defense. There are a wealth of isolation scorers for the team, Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson are the best shot creators while Bojan Bogdanovic keeps raining in points in different ways, plus Ingles is the secondary playmaker while Gobert can dip in inside points and also generate second-chance points(Also setting screens of the highest quality) while Gay and O’Neale can get in 5-9 points a game regularly. Overall, the Jazz’s offensive style is intimidating and I believe they can develop more defensive discipline with the current core.

Los Angeles Lakers | Utah Jazz
Games: 43| 43
Wins: 21| 29
Defeats: 22| 14

LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz NBA Live, Team News and Lineups

Los Angeles Lakers Team News

• Anthony Davis is OUT for the game and will be evaluated soon
• Kendrick Nunn is OUT For the match and without a timetable to return.
• LeBron James, Dwight Howard are PROBABLE for the game
• Carmelo Anthony is QUESTIONABLE for this contest.

Lakers Expected Starting Five

Wings : SF: LeBron James(PROBABLE)
Middle: C: Dwight Howard(PROBABLE)
Guards: SG: Avery Bradley   SG: Malik Monk      PG: Russell Westbrook

BENCH: Carmelo Anthony(QUESTIONABLE), Talen Horton-Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Deandre Jordan, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard, Sekou Doumbouya.

Utah Jazz Team News

• Jared Butler, Hassan Whiteside, Elijah Hughes are in COVID-19 protocols

Jazz Expected Starting Five
Wing: SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
Frontline: PF: Royce O’Neale     C: Rudy Gobert
Guards: SG: Donovan Mitchell   PG: Mike Conley

BENCH: Jordan Clarkson, Elijah Hughes, Rudy Gay, Denzel Valentine, Zylan Cheatham, Trent Forrest, Eric Paschall, James Ennis III, Danuel House Jr., Malik Fitts.

NBA Scores, Fantasy Basketball Top Picks

LeBron James(LAL)
Points: 25
Rebounds: 09
Assists: 02
Blocks: 02
LBJ has given some semblance to the Lakes team, at least on the offensive, and continues to dominate opposing defenders. The Forward has usually scored in the 30+ range while pulling down 7-10 rebounds and dishing 5+ assists game regularly. The Center is the favorite for the Star-Player in the Dream11 NBA scene.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 52-66

Donovan Mitchell (UTA)
Points: 31
Rebounds: 05
Assists: 04
Steals: 02
Mitchell is the fuel to the Jazz’s effort on the offensive edge and can raise his scoring almost every game. The Guard has constantly scored in the 26-31 points range, and has compiled 4-5 rebounds, and dished 3-6 assists a game.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 34-48

Russell Westbrook(LAL)
Points: 19
Rebounds: 05
Assists: 03
Russell has been one of the best all-around players in the league and after lodging triple-double seasons, he has not had that many this season. Still a 15+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 6+ assists production can be expected on most nights.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 31-44

Rudy Gobert(UTA)
Points: 18
Rebounds: 19
Assists: 02
Blocks: 02
Gobert has been one of the best Centers in the league for a long time now. Rudy is the reigning defensive player of the year, constantly figuring in the 12-18 points, 13-18, rebounds, and 1-4 blocks range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 35-46

Bojan Bogdanovic(UTA)
Points: 21
Rebounds: 04
Assists: 05
Steals: 01
Bogdanovic has been a superb perimeter shooter for the Jazz and also a big-time scorer who has multiple ways of scoring. Bogdanovic has been scoring in the 16-23 points range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 24-38

LAL vs UTA Dream11 Lineup Balancers

• • Jordan Clarkson(UTA) bagged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal in the last game. Jordan has been scoring in the 16-22 points range for two seasons now
  • Talen Horton-Tucker(LAL) bagged 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in the last game. Talen has not been as consistent on offense as expected but that may be due to a decreased role and fewer ball-handling opportunities, still, the guard has lodged 9-11 points a game at times.
  • Dwight Howard(LAL) chipped 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in the last game. He may play 20+ minutes to keep Rudy Gobert off the boards and match-up with him.
  • Mike Conley(UTA) bagged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists in the last game. Mike’s scoring has suffered as the season has progressed but still, an 8-12 points range and 3-6 assists can be expected.
  • Joe Ingles(UTA) had 3 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds in the last game. This is usually the production of Ingles in the reserve guard role.
  • Austin Reaves(LAL) bagged 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in the last game. Austin is up-and-down and well like most rookies, he can be both a sparkplug or out of the picture.
  • Eric Paschall(UTA) had 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal in the last game. Eric has scored 10 or more in consecutive games now but I doubt he will get this much playing time once White side returns.
  • Avery Bradley(LAL) had 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in the last game. Avery usually scores in the 6-8 range and sometimes he can have 20+ games but yes a single-digit scoring is usually expected.
  • Trevor Ariza(LAL) had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in the last game. He can be placed in the 4-9 points and 2-5 rebounds category.

LAL vs UTA Dream11 Team

PG: J Clarkson
SG: M Monk, A Bradley, J Ingles
SF: B Bogdanovic
PF: R O’Neale
C: L James(SP), R Gobert(PP)

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Where to watch NBA Live Score?

Good news for Indian viewers! This contest will be available on TV channels MTV and VH1. Online services like Voot and JIO TV will also stream this game. Still, if you ask me, the best way to follow all the games is by getting the NBA League Pass which provides access to all live games and full game replay if you happen to miss the live stream. To go through the scorecards, visit the official website of the NBA.