The Utah Jazz came up short in a narrow 104-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night during the second leg of a back-to-back during a contest that came down to the final seconds, and one that ended with some drama due to a controversial timeout by Will Hardy.

Regardless of wins and losses, the Jazz need to establish a culture going forward, and a loss Sunday to the Lakers tested their character.

The Utah Jazz hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of their 2025 tank season. Utah did what we’ve come to expect from them. They kept the game close most of the way but let it slip to a loss at the end.

Anthony Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds, LeBron James added 27 points and 14 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 105-104.

Utah was getting 3-pointers up early and often against Los Angeles and connected on 9-of-24 in the first half. Many of those attempts were a result of effective ball movement, with the ball often finding open shooters on the wing or in the corners, as the Jazz racked up 16 assists across the first two quarters.

The clock ticked down and the ball, like it has for most of the last two decades of professional basketball, was in LeBron James' hands. It’s been the recipe for years, James hunting the matchup on the court he wants,