Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots as Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale (23) defends in the first half during an NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City. | AP Photo
SALT LAKE CITY — Anthony Davis scored 26 points, LeBron James had 20 points and 12 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz, 121-96.
Rajon Rondo added 14 points and a season-high 12 assists and season-high nine rebounds. Los Angeles cruised to an easy victory, outscoring Utah 32-5 in fast-break points and totaling 21 points off 19 Jazz turnovers.
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 23 to lead Utah. The Jazz lost for the fifth time in six games.
The Jazz opened the game with baskets on four straight possessions and took an 11-5 lead. Bogdanovic got things going with back-to-back 3-pointers. Utah eventually cooled down. Los Angeles did not.
Behind a 9-0 run, the Lakers surged out to a 30-20 lead. Davis scored back-to-back baskets to punctuate the run. Los Angeles was just getting started.
The Lakers used a 16-4 run, sparked by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter from Kuzma, to stake out a 46-30 lead early in the second quarter. James fueled the bulk of the run with three baskets over a minute.
Stopping transition baskets proved to be the biggest issue for Utah. The Lakers outscored the Jazz 21-3 in fast-break points before halftime. Sloppy passing contributed a great deal to that advantage, with Los Angeles scoring 11 points off six first-half turnovers by Utah.
Los Angeles maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The Lakers led by as many as 25 points after halftime.