Lakers Continue to Play Spoiler as They Stun Jazz, 113-109, in Penultimate Game

And then there was one. 

In their penultimate game of the regular season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 32 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Utah Jazz, 113-109, on Sunday night at Staples Center.

If the playoff-bound Jazz thought that the Lakers were going to lay down and let them walk all over them, they were dead wrong.

"I think that they thought it's going to be an easy game," said Lakers' center JaVale McGee about the Jazz.  "Everyone is out, all the starters, everyone who averages double figures is out. But this is the NBA, just because guys are on the bench doesn't mean they can't get starters minutes and put up starters points. This is the NBA, everyone is good."

Led by KCP and the "G-League All-Stars," the Lakers have turned some heads and shocked some of the better teams in the Western Conference, leading some to ask the question: Are the Lakers a better team without LeBron James and their young stars?

Of course that notion is ludicrous on its face, but since stars like Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and James have shut it down for the season, the team is 6-3 in their last nine games. The team was 6-20 with James in their previous 26. 

"It's great to watch the game being played when you have guys out there giving it their all, no agenda other than to win the game," said Lakers' head coach Luke Walton. "It's a lot of fun, beautifull really, to watch the game when they are leaving it all on the court."

Not only are they winning, but the "G-League All-Stars," composed of South Bay Lakers standouts Alex Caruso, Johnathan Williams,  Jemerrio Jones, Moritz Wagner, and Isaac Bonga, seem to have a different look and feel on the court than their counterparts did before them.

"We're just playing free," said Caldwell-Pope. "We're just playing. We're playing hard, giving great effort, and not giving up."

Not only are they playing free, but this particular team of guys seems to trust each other, they play loose, and together. They bring energy, effort, and excitement every night, but most of all, they have fun.

The Lakers' roster as it's currently constructed, is a far cry from the one that the team started the season with. Riddled with injuries, the Lakers were only able to dress 10 players on Sunday, and they played only eight of them.

"We're down to only eight players and a lot of those guys are getting opportunities they normally wouldn't get," said Walton. "You can go down the line from [Alex] Caruso, Jemerrio [Jones], J3 [Johnathan Williams], KCP. This is the type of win where we needed everybody and everybody stepped up."

Many names that the casual fan has never heard of were inserted into the starting lineup, with Jones, Muscala, and Caruso, all on the court at the jump. 

"They came up to me and said, 'you're starting tonight,'" said Jones of when he found out he was making his first career NBA start. " I got the bubble guts a little bit, but I was straight with it. I just got to take advantage of it. Everything happened for a reason. I'm just going to take this chance and run with it." 

Caldwell-Pope had a game-high 32 points, Caruso had 18 and 11 assists, and the Lakers surprised a Jazz team that was trying to secure the number five seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a win.

"I wish I was playing like this to start the season," said Caldwell-Pope. "Now we just want to finish strong. We just want to have fun with each other.

The stinging loss snapped Utah's seven-game winning streak, and guarantees they won't have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Not only did the devastating loss keep them out of the four-seed, but thanks to an Oklahoma City Thunder victory earlier in the night, they can still fall to sixth in the Western Conference should they lose out.

"Everybody's talking about how we've won eight, nine in a row or whatever, but that doesn't mean anything," said Jazz' head coach Quin Snyder. "We've tried to talk about playing well and getting better. Hopefully we get better from something like this. Whether it's a seeding situation, or our play, because regardless of where you're seeded, you have to play well and play a certain way to win."

JaVale McGee had 22 points and eight rebounds, Muscala chipped in 16 points, and Williams had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench. 

"I feel like we're playing out there with a little bit of jealousy," said McGee after the win. "We're kind of mad that you guys are in the playoffs and we're not."

Jones, playing on a 10-day contract, had 16 rebounds, the most boards by a Lakers player in their first start in franchise history.

"It's the dog in me, that's what I want to do, and I'm willing to do it," said Jones of the rebounds.

Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 21 points, Donovan Mitchell had 19, and Georges Niang had 16 off the bench.

"We just have to keep it moving," said Niang after the loss. "We just have to keep improving, win the rest of our games, and do what we have to do. Seeding is important, so obviously the next two games are going to be big for us."

Utah led late in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers went on an 8-0 run, and never trailed again. Leading 110-107, with less than a minute remaining, McGee slammed home an alley-oop by Pope to seal the victory.

The Lakers outrebounded the Jazz, 49-to-33, including grabbing seven more boards on the offensive glass. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, but the Lakers shot 52 percent from the field.

Most of the current Lakers are fighting for playing time, contracts in the offseason, or just the opportunity to prove they belong in the NBA, but whatever their motivation is, it's working, and they're putting the league on notice. 

Notes and Next

LeBron James (groin), Lonzo Ball (left ankle), Josh Hart (knee surgery), Brandon Ingram (shoulder), Reggie Bullock (plantar fasciitis), Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and Tyson Chandler all missed the game for the Lakers. 

The Lakers will host the Portland Trail Blazers in the final game of the regular season on Tuesday night at Staples Center.