The Utah Jazz and LA Lakers will meet for the first time in the 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday. This clash could end up being the marquee matchup with superstar LeBron James in contention to play his first game. The four-time MVP was out with sciatica to begin his 23rd season, but is listed as questionable to suit up.

Heading into this season, there was hope the Lakers could take a big leap forward. They had a full training camp with young superstar Luka Doncic, and it was year two for head coach JJ Redick. After finishing with a 50-32 record last season, there was reason for real optimism.

The Lakers fell in the latest USA TODAY Sports power rankings, moving from second to sixth in Week 3. The Lakers had previously started the season ranked 11th.

Multiple NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, have been asked by the league to hand over cell phones and documents as part of its continued investigation into illegal sports betting, according to The Athletic .

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Austin Reaves made fun of the new LeBron James-Bronny James dynamic that has unfolded.

The Lakers have been very good offensively, which is why they’ve fared well even with LeBron James sidelined. Luka Doncic belongs in the early MVP discussions and Austin Reaves is looking like an All-NBA performer.

After the game, several Lakers players tried to grab the game ball to hand to Thiero to commemorate his NBA debut. While officials originally turned them down, Giannis Antetokounmpo took matters into his own hands and got the ball for Thiero:

Austin Reaves scored 31, Luka Doncic had 24 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 118-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.