Kobe-Less Lakers in Utah Friday Night

The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Utah to take on the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back, and Kobe Bryant will not be with the team

Without Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers head to Utah on the second night of a back-to-back.

Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz have lost three games in a row and have the fifth worst record in the NBA. The Lakers, incidentally, have the fourth worst record in the NBA, and so, Friday evening's game in Salt Lake City carries greater meaning in the context of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Hayward leads the Jazz with 18.9 points per game, and fourth year forward Derrick Favors leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game. With Kobe Bryant staying home to rest, the Lakers will have their hands full in terms of creating offense.

In particular, the Lakers need greater contributions from Nick Young. Since the start of 2015, Young is shooting a dismal 27.6 percent from the field and 20.5 percent from three-point land. To provide context, Young shot 40.3 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from three-point land in December.

While Young has struggled, teammate Jordan Hill has come to life on the offensive end. Over his past six games, Hill is averaging 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In Thursday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hill finished with 20 points and six rebounds. The Lakers will hope Hill can continue to provide an offensive spark.

With Bryant out, however, the Lakers will roll out a new lineup. Wayne Ellington expects to start in place of the 36-year-old, and Ellington should be fresh considering he has not seen a single second on the court over the past two games. Ellington is a shooter, so Lakers coach Byron Scott will hope to receive offensive production from the 27-year-old out of the University of North Carolina.

Another source of offensive production is backup point guard Jeremy Lin. After an inconsistent first couple month of the season, Lin is averaging 12.4 points per game in January. More impressively, the 26-year-old is shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from beyond the three point arc. With Bryant out, Lin should see more minutes on the court.

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Without Bryant, the 12-28 Lakers and 13-26 Jazz tip at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Notes: Ronnie Price has been struggling with an elbow issue, and the Lakers' starting point guard was listed as "probable" on the team's official game notes. Hill also has a sore right knee, but he is expected to play.

Update: Price will miss Friday's game due to the sore elbow.

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