The Utah Jazz will hit a different kind of spotlight on Sunday when the Los Angeles Lakers come to town for the third game of the 2026-27 regular season. Matchups with the Lakers always draw attention, and this one brings a few specific angles worth watching.
The first and biggest one is Walker Kessler’s return to Salt Lake City. This will be his first game in Utah wearing anything other than a Jazz uniform, and that alone gives the night extra juice.
Kessler talked a couple of days before the game about how excited he is to face his former teammates and coaching staff, and he’s already come out of the gate strong in Los Angeles. Through two games, he’s putting up 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game as Luka Doncic’s frontcourt running mate.
With Utah still a little thin at center to begin the season, the Jazz may have their hands full trying to slow him down.
That leads straight into the next headline: Doncic. Utah’s defense is staring at its toughest individual assignment yet, and even though Doncic has had a slower start efficiency-wise, he’s been a wrecking ball against the Jazz before.
In his last three games against Utah last season, he averaged 38.3 points on 47.3% shooting, along with 9.0 rebounds and 10.7 assists. He also went 3-0 in those meetings.
If the Jazz can’t drag him into a rough shooting night, they could be in for a long evening.
There’s also some uncertainty around how Will Hardy will open the game. Utah has already used two different starting lineups through its first two games, which makes this one harder to pin down than usual.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Jazz started Jaxson Hayes for extra size and rolled to a 20-point win. Two nights later against the New Orleans Pelicans, they replaced Hayes with Ace Bailey to add more wing versatility, and Hayes still made an impact with 17 points off the bench.
So the question now is simple: does Hardy stick with Hayes for the matchup with Kessler, or does he keep Bailey with the starters and chase continuity? The Jazz have already shown they’re willing to mix things up early, and Sunday’s lineup decision will be another one to watch.
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Jazz Frontcourt Issue Looms Again As Lakers Visit Utah
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