Lakers vs Jazz Preview and Game Thread: How legit is this five game winning streak?

The Lakers look to not only remain undefeated in the NBA Cup but also on their home floor when they host the Jazz on Tuesday.

After sweeping their two-game road trip, the Lakers look to continue stacking wins when they face the Utah Jazz at home on Tuesday. This will be the second NBA Cup game for both teams in Group B.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz

When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Nov 19

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum SportsNet

It didn’t take long for the Lakers to put together a five-game winning streak this season. This is definitely an encouraging sign, especially since it took until March for Los Angeles to do that last season. And not to jinx it or anything, but the best part about this winning streak is that it’s sustainable given how the purple and gold have been playing as of late.

The Lakers will be at home — where they remain undefeated — for the next three games. Tuesday’s match will be an NBA Cup game, where Los Angeles also remains unbeaten dating back to last season. It’s nice to be on the right side of these winning streaks and, hopefully, contrary to the famous saying, they don’t intend to be broken.

In order for the Lakers to keep their winning streak — whether it’s their overall record, at home or in the NBA Cup — some aspects of their play must still improve. Let’s start by looking at it from the standpoint of their matchup against the Jazz:

Can the Lakers defense still improve?

This is what I’m going to pay most attention to in Tuesday’s game against Utah, who employ two speedy prolific scoring starting guards in Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexton. Clarkson and Sexton are the exact type of guards the Lakers defense struggled to contain early in the season, specifically before they replaced D’Angelo Russell on the starting lineup for Cam Reddish.

Besides their backcourt, the Jazz also have a talented frontcourt with Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, two of their best scorers on the team. So this game will be a good test for the Lakers’ overall defense because the only way Utah can keep up with them is if one or two of their players get hot.

The Jazz, who are ranked fifth in points allowed, will likely have no match on the defensive end against the Lakers’ top-five offense.

Can the Lakers handle the Jazz early?

Maybe it’s the fact that the Lakers have had way too many nail-biters of late but it would be nice to see Los Angeles take care of Utah early. This isn’t to say the Jazz will be a walk in the park as no opponent is in today’s NBA, but it’s important to note that they’ve been struggling to start the year. They’ve only won three out of their first 10 games and were on a six-game losing streak to begin the season. They’ll also be on their third game in four nights.

A good indicator of whether or not a team’s winning streak is legit is based on how they dominate non-playoff teams. Hopefully, the Lakers can do that against a Jazz team that won’t easily give this game to them. Let’s see if the Lakers can make it six in a row and remain undefeated in both their homecourt and at the NBA Cup on Tuesday.

Notes and Updates

• The Lakers’ latest injury report states that Anthony Davis (left plantar fasciitis) is probable on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Rui Hachimura (left ankle sprain) remains questionable. Cam Reddish, who sat out against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a right peroneal strain, is no longer listed.
• The usuals: Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery), Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain), Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery) and Jalen Hood-Schifino (left groin soreness) to remain out. Bronny James (left heel contusion) is doubtful.
• As for the Jazz, Walker Kessler (right hip) and Taylor Hendricks (right fibula) are out.
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.