The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz, 127-115, at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lakers (35-22) and the Jazz (42-15) have been two of the best teams in the Western Conference this season and this matchup could easily be a preview of a potential Western Conference Semifinals, but the Lakers managed to come through and defeat Utah in a game where both teams looked shorthanded -- Los Angeles had neither LeBron James (ankle) nor Anthony Davis (calf) while Utah was without Donovan Mitchell (knee). This game needed five extra minutes to find a winner as well. The Jazz built a one-point lead following the first quarter, but the Lakers responded quickly and grabbed a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter following dominant spells in both the second (31-27) and third (29-20) periods. Utah managed to mount a fourth-quarter comeback and forced overtime, but the Lakers cruised their way in the final five minutes and outscored a fatigued Utah squad by a 17-5 score to run away with the win.

Andre Drummond led the Lakers offensively with a 27-point performance that also included eight rebounds, three assists and two steals -- he was one of three Lakers that scored at least 25 points since Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also reached that tally. Schroder contributed eight assists as well, while Caldwell-Pope chipped in with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kyle Kuzma had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Markieff Morris notched a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double for Los Angeles.

Jordan Clarkson started in place of Donovan Mitchell and paced the Jazz with 27 points, while Joe Ingles posted a 20-point, 14-assist double-double. Ersan Ilyasova had 20 points as well, while Bojan Bogdanovic notched 19 points. Royce O'Neale contributed 14 points with eight rebounds and four assists. No other Utah player scored in double digits.