After winning both of their first two games of the new NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers will play their first road game of the 2026-27 campaign on Sunday when they visit the Utah Jazz. The Jazz may have missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, but this time around, they appear to have a competitive roster.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is now anchoring Utah's frontcourt after it traded center Walker Kessler to the Lakers in July. Guard Keyonte George has become an All-Star-caliber player, forward Lauri Markkanen was an All-Star four seasons ago and rookie guard Darryn Peterson is thought to have star potential.
Los Angeles will be a bit healthier on Sunday, as forward Jake LaRavia has been removed from the injured list after suffering a sprained ankle during Wednesday's regular-season opener. Second-year forward Adou Thiero and rookie guard Cameron Carr, however, remain out of action.
Lakers’ injury report vs. Utah tomorrow. Jake LaRavia is no longer listed. Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero remain out. pic.twitter.com/2X545m63CJ
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 24, 2026
In Wednesday's 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors, LaRavia scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. After struggling mightily with his outside shooting last season, it seems he has regained his shooting touch, at least for now, based on how he did in the preseason and on opening night.
Last season, LaRavia hit just 32.1% of his 3-point attempts after going 42.3% from that distance during the 2024-25 season. During the preseason this month, he made eight of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Lakers reveal encouraging Jake LaRavia injury update for Sunday's game