Jazz playing for playoff position against struggling Lakers

Strong guard play is giving the Utah Jazz a much needed boost as the jockey for playoff seeding in the Western Conference. When the Jazz host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, it's a safe bet that Utah will get a big game from some combination of Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum because it's been happening like clockwork as of late. Mitchell has produced a Jazz rookie record nine straight 20-point games, the latest being a 21-point effort that helped fuel a 121-97 rout of Minnesota on Sunday.