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Lakers rout Jazz in regular-season finale, secure 4th seed in West

April 13, 2026

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) goes up to shoot over Utah Jazz forward Blake Hinson (2) for a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

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LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick made clear last week that seeding was out the window. His mindset was more than understandable.

The Lakers had lost Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to expectation-shattering injuries, about to suffer the second of heavy-handed defeats to the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder and were just trying to figure out who they were heading into the playoffs.

Self-exploration, a journey that includes Luke Kennard evolving into the team’s primary ball handler and the Lakers shuffle their roster once more before the regular season’s conclusion, was certainly more top of mind compared to the who, when and where of the playoffs. Game 82 put an end to that path in the Lakers’ 131-107 victory over the Utah Jazz (22-60).

Games count tenfold in less than a week’s time. The Lakers (53-29) landed the fourth seed in the Western Conference as the Denver Nuggets fell 128-118 to the San Antonio Spurs. The pair of results means that the Lakers will host the fifth-seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs starting on April 18 or April 19 (Saturday or Sunday).

Houston fell twice when it hosted the Lakers in March. But both Doncic and Reaves played vital roles in both victories, with the Slovenian star scoring a combined 76 points in the pair of victories.

Redick said pregame that the Lakers were just going to control their end of the bargain with the third seed still up for grabs at tip off.

“We need, with this group, to continue to build and continue to have positive progress and that’s the goal for today,” Redick said.

And they played like it Sunday. LeBron James logged just 17 minutes – opting to play in the regular-season finale despite the Lakers having locked up home-court advantage for the first round – and scored 18 points in the first half before exiting at halftime alongside Luke Kennard (three points in 11 minutes).

Rui Hachimura co-led the Lakers with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while center Deandre Ayton scored 22 points (his most in a game since March 12, scoring 23 points against the Chicago Bulls). When forward Jake LaRavia checked in during the first quarter on Sunday, he entered for his 82nd game of the season; the only player on the Lakers to appear in each regular season game in the 2025-26 campaign.

Nick Smith Jr., the 21-year-old guard who had his contract converted from a two-way deal into a standard two-year deal on Sunday to become playoff eligible, sank five shots for 12 points off the bench in 18 minutes. Smith, a former first-round pick in 2023, could provide the Lakers an extra ball handler off the bench to quell the likes of Marcus Smart and Kennard during the playoffs.

Bronny James also played well in an increased role off the bench. Mostly playing in the fourth quarter, the reserve guard drilled 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc en route to 11 points in 19 minutes – his third 10-or-more point game in the last six games of the season.

Second-year guard Dalton Knecht, whose playing time has reduced dramatically compared to his rookie campaign, tallied a season-high 17 points (5 for 6 shooting from 3-point range) in the fourth quarter alone. It was the first time in the new year that Knecht had reached double-digit scoring.

Notes:

Hayden Gray, a San Diego native who played collegiately at Azusa Pacific University and UC San Diego, made his NBA debut for the Utah Jazz against the Lakers and scored six points on 2-for-3 shooting in 25 minutes.

Lakers rout Jazz in regular-season finale, secure 4th seed in West Orange County Register

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Lakers rout Jazz in regular-season finale, secure 4th seed in West

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