The Lakers are 12-4, and did in fact win Sunday's game in Utah, 108-106.

After that, there wasn't a ton to love, because this was a pretty ugly win. The Lakers continue to be a tremendously bad three point shooting team. Sunday, their top three players, Luka Donćić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James were a combined 4-24 from 3-point range. That obviously isn't getting it done, and the struggle isn't exactly new for this squad.

And it emphasizes how good the Lakers have been inside the arc. Luka, especially continues to draw tons of whistles, as does Reaves. And it also emphasizes how important shot selection is for the Lakers, given their potential defensive limitations. Poor shot selection off an imbalanced floor can leave them vulnerable for transition buckets.

And it reminds folks that the Lakers are winning games with numbers you could either find encouraging—a lot of stuff that should improve over time—or might lead you to think they might not be as good as the record indicates.

One big part of that strong mark has been Deandre Ayton, who didn't play in the second half Sunday because of a knee contusion. JJ Redick had very little to say about it after the game, so it's too early to say they'll be without him for any length of time, but if they are it would be a real loss for the Lakers. Maxi Kleber played well Sunday, and Jaxson Hayes has done his job admirably this year, but neither brings what Ayton does, whether as a scorer or a rebounder.

So it's wait and see.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers win, but it's not pretty.
SEGMENT 2: The shooting woes continue.
SEGMENT 3: Ayton hurt.

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