Los Angeles Lakers @ Utah Jazz
Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 9:00 PM ET
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT | Game ID: 22500379
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
UTA 41 37 28 29 135LAL 32 41 29 41 143
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Doncic has 45 points and a triple-double as the Lakers come back to beat the Jazz 143-135
SALT LAKE CITY -- — Luka Doncic had 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in his fifth triple-double of the season, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a big fourth quarter to top the Utah Jazz 143-135 on Thursday night.
LeBron James had 28 points and 10 assists for the Lakers, who outscored the Jazz 41-29 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers led by 12 in the period but the Jazz cut it to 134-130 before Doncic found Jaxson Hayes for his final assist and the cushion the Lakers needed to clinch the win.
Hayes was 7 of 7 for 16 points and is a perfect 26 of 26 in six games against Utah as a Laker.
Utah played without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (groin), while the Lakers were missing regular starters Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Austin Reaves (calf).
Keyonte George scored 33 points, his third straight game with more than 30. Rookie Ace Bailey added 19 points for Utah, which hasn't won three consecutive games all season.
The Lakers won for the third time in four games despite allowing their most points this season.
The Jazz shot 65% and led 78-73 at halftime — their second-best offensive performance of the season. Meanwhile, Doncic scored or assisted on 16 of the Lakers’ 27 baskets in the first half to keep them close.
The Jazz attempted a season-high 47 free throws (making 31) and the Lakers’ frustration boiled over in the third quarter as Marcus Smart , Hayes and Doncic all received technical fouls.
James made two free throws to cap a 10-0 run and lift the Lakers to a 114-108 lead after they had trailed since the second minute of the game. He tweaked his knee midway through the second quarter and then got hit on the jaw a few plays late, but stayed on the court.
Up next Lakers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
UTAAB A. Bailey
BS B. Sensabaugh
IC I. Collier
JN J. Nurkić
KF K. Filipowski
KG K. George
KL K. Love
NU Nurkic
SM S. Mykhailiuk
TH T. Hendricks
WC W. Clayton Jr.
LALAT A. Thiero
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
MK M. Kleber
MS M. Smart
NS N. Smith Jr.
RH R. Hachimura
UTA/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur