The Lakers have opened their current five-game road trip with three straight dominating wins, capped by Sunday’s 134-109 rout of Houston. They arrive in Utah trailing both the LA Clippers and Golden State by a half-game in the battle to finish above the line in the West. The Jazz have fallen out of the playoff picture in the West with losses in six of seven contests, capped by Sunday’s heartbreaking 111-110 loss in Brooklyn.

The red-hot Lakers have steadily gained momentum on the Tuesday NBA odds since opening as 6-point favourites, and are now pegged as lofty 9-point chalk. The Jazz have faded to distant +328 underdogs, and the total has jumped to 237.5 since opening at 235.5.

Lakers vs. Jazz NBA Betting Odds

Tuesday night’s matchup at Vivint Arena marks the third of four scheduled dates between these Western Conference rivals. Utah dominated in their first two meetings of the season with Los Angeles, tallying a pair of lopsided wins, including a 139-116 when these teams clashed in Utah on November 7.

Overall, the Jazz have taken three straight from the Lakers, with those victories coming by an average margin of 16.7 points per game, and ending a dismal 2-7 straight-up run in head-to-head action. With the Jazz averaging over 130 points per game, the OVER has paid out in three straight head-to-head meetings, ending a 4-1 run for the UNDER.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have received a massive lift from LeBron James’ early return from injury, with fellow superstar Anthony Davis emerging as the biggest beneficiary of King James’ return to action. While James has yet to regain a consistent scoring touch during the four games since his return, averaging just 20 points per tilt, he has remained a force under the bucket. James recorded 10 boards for a second straight game and produced a triple-double in Sunday’s win over the Rockets, and has now pulled down nine boards per game in his past four contests.

While James tended to playmaking and business in the paint, Anthony Davis turned in yet another sensational offensive performance against Houston, dropping 40 points, and has now scored at least 37 in four of five outings. He’s averaged 12.1 rebounds since the beginning of March. Both James and Davis find themselves listed on the injury report as they deal with nagging foot injuries, but both are expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday night. D’Angelo Russell is also expected to play after seeing limited action in his return from a foot injury on Sunday.

Utah Jazz

If the Utah Jazz are to resurrect their fast-fading playoff hopes, they need to do so starting on Tuesday night. After losing six of seven, the Jazz now sit 1.5 games back of Oklahoma City in the race for 10^th place in the West. The current slide includes three straight blowout losses on home hardware, with the club bowing to defeat by an average margin of 18 points per game.

The absence of the team’s two top scorers due to injury has not helped matters.  Leading scorer Lauri Markkanen has missed five of the team’s past nine contests with an injury, and is confirmed out for Tuesday. The Jazz’s top playmaker Jordan Clarkson also remains on the shelf with a finger injury that has sidelined him since early March. In their absence, Talen Horton-Tucker has stepped up to fill the void. The 22-year-old is coming off a 32-point performance in Sunday’s loss to the Nets and has averaged 33.7 points over his past three games. However, this club desperately needs help on defence, particularly after recess, after surrendering 62.7 second-half points over their past six games.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Lakers vs. Jazz?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Lakers Team Leaders

LAL

Points	LeBron James 28.91
Assists	LeBron James 6.82
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 12.54
FG%	Davon Reed 75
Steals	Jarred Vanderbilt 1.15
Blocks	Anthony Davis 2.04

UTA

Points	Lauri Markkanen 25.62
Assists	Kris Dunn 5.64
Rebounds	Lauri Markkanen 8.64
FG%	Udoka Azubuike 81.9
Steals	Kris Dunn 1.14
Blocks	Walker Kessler 2.34

LAL

Points	LeBron James 24.5
Assists	LeBron James 6.5
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 14.06
FG%	Rui Hachimura 55.7
Steals	Anthony Davis 1.38
Blocks	Anthony Davis 3.13

UTA

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Jazz Team Leaders

LAL

Points	LeBron James 28.91
Assists	LeBron James 6.82
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 12.54
FG%	Davon Reed 75
Steals	Jarred Vanderbilt 1.15
Blocks	Anthony Davis 2.04

UTA

Points	Lauri Markkanen 25.62
Assists	Kris Dunn 5.64
Rebounds	Lauri Markkanen 8.64
FG%	Udoka Azubuike 81.9
Steals	Kris Dunn 1.14
Blocks	Walker Kessler 2.34

LAL

Points	LeBron James 24.5
Assists	LeBron James 6.5
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 14.06
FG%	Rui Hachimura 55.7
Steals	Anthony Davis 1.38
Blocks	Anthony Davis 3.13

UTA

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

Injuries

L.A. Lakers

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Mon Foot - 21 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Sat Foot - 19 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Thurs Foot - 17 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Tues Foot - 15 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Fri Foot - 11 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Wed Foot - 09 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Mon Foot - 07 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Sat Foot - 05 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Thurs Foot - 03 / 05 / 23

Anthony Davis (PF)

Prob Tues Foot - 01 / 05 / 23

Utah

Kelly Olynyk (PF)

Ques Sun Rest - 07 / 04 / 23

Talen Horton-Tucker (SG)

Out Sun Ankle - 06 / 04 / 23

Collin Sexton (PG)

Out Sun Hamstring - 05 / 04 / 23

Kelly Olynyk (PF)

Prob Fri Illness - 29 / 03 / 23

Simone Fontecchio (SF)

Prob Wed Toe - 27 / 03 / 23

Rudy Gay (SF)

Out indefinitely Back - 23 / 03 / 23

Johnny Juzang (SG)

Ques Fri Hip - 23 / 03 / 23

Jordan Clarkson (PG)

Out indefinitely Finger - 07 / 03 / 23

Ochai Agbaji (SG)

Ques Fri Leg - 01 / 03 / 23

Jordan Clarkson (PG)

Ques Sun Thumb - 27 / 02 / 23

Injuries

L.A. Lakers

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Mon	Foot - 21 / 05 / 23	1-1	1-1	+ -
Davis is nursing a right foot stress injury, but it is not expected to impact his status versus the Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Sat	Foot - 19 / 05 / 23	2-1	2-1	+ -
Davis is tending to a right foot stress injury, but he is predicted to be available for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals versus the Nuggets.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Thurs	Foot - 17 / 05 / 23	3-1	3-1	+ -
Davis is managing a right foot stress injury, but he is expected to dress for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals versus the Nuggets.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Tues	Foot - 15 / 05 / 23	3-1	3-1	+ -
Davis is managing a right foot stress injury, but he is expected to dress for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals versus the Nuggets.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Fri	Foot - 11 / 05 / 23	4-2	4-2	+ -
Davis is tending to a right foot stress injury, but it is anticipated that he will suit up for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Warriors.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Wed	Foot - 09 / 05 / 23	5-2	4-3	+ -
Davis is dealing with a right foot stress injury, but it is projected that that he will dress for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals versus the Warriors.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Mon	Foot - 07 / 05 / 23	5-3	5-3	+ -
Davis is dealing with a right foot stress injury, but it is projected that that he will dress for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals versus the Warriors.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Sat	Foot - 05 / 05 / 23	6-3	6-3	+ -
Davis is dealing with a right foot stress injury, but he is forecasted to be available versus the Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Thurs	Foot - 03 / 05 / 23	7-3	6-4	+ -
Davis is dealing with a right foot stress injury, but it is anticipated that he will dress for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals versus the Warriors.
Anthony Davis (PF)	Prob Tues	Foot - 01 / 05 / 23	7-3	6-4	+ -
Davis is nursing a right foot stress injury, but it is not expected to impact his availability for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Warriors.

Utah

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Kelly Olynyk (PF)	Ques Sun	Rest - 07 / 04 / 23	2-1	2-1	+ -
Olynyk was absent from the previous contest due to rest, and it is unknown if he will take to the court against the Lakers in Sunday's tilt.
Talen Horton-Tucker (SG)	Out Sun	Ankle - 06 / 04 / 23	2-1	2-1	+ -
Horton-Tucker has sat out the last two games with left ankle soreness, and he will not lace up versus the Lakers on Sunday.
Collin Sexton (PG)	Out Sun	Hamstring - 05 / 04 / 23	3-1	2-2	+ -
Sexton was been held out of the previous two games with a hamstring issue, and he will not be available for Sunday's clash against the Lakers.
Kelly Olynyk (PF)	Prob Fri	Illness - 29 / 03 / 23	5-2	4-3	+ -
Olynyk sat out the last contest with an illness, but it is predicted that he will participate in Friday's showdown versus the Celtics.
Simone Fontecchio (SF)	Prob Wed	Toe - 27 / 03 / 23	6-2	4-4	+ -
Fontecchio sat out the last contest with turf toe on his left foot, but it is expected that he will play Wednesday versus the Spurs.
Rudy Gay (SF)	Out indefinitely	Back - 23 / 03 / 23	7-4	7-4	+ -
Gay is sidelined with back spasms, and team officials have not yet confirmed an exact return date.
Johnny Juzang (SG)	Ques Fri	Hip - 23 / 03 / 23	7-4	7-4	+ -
Juzang is dealing with a strained left hip flexor, and it remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup versus the Bucks on Friday.
Jordan Clarkson (PG)	Out indefinitely	Finger - 07 / 03 / 23	12-5	12-4-1	+ -
Clarkson is nursing a left finger sprain, and there is no timetable for his return.
Ochai Agbaji (SG)	Ques Fri	Leg - 01 / 03 / 23	13-7	13-6-1	+ -
Agbaji exited the last match with a right lower leg contusion, leaving his status for Friday's showdown with the Thunder uncertain.
Jordan Clarkson (PG)	Ques Sun	Thumb - 27 / 02 / 23	13-7	13-6-1	+ -
Clarkson has missed the previous two contests with a right thumb sprain, and it is uncertain if he will play against the Thunder on Sunday.