Scores for LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the Lakers’ win over the Jazz

If you were to think of a way for the Lakers to start one of their most important stretches of the season right, you would realize before the game that they were without three rotational guards and on the front end of a back-to-back at the start of their four-game road trip -back would be close to the worst case scenario.

The team entered the game with a minor injury crisis in the frontcourt and then promptly saw Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish sidelined. Suddenly there were only nine healthy bodies available and two of them were secondary signings.

Say what you will about the outcome of this game, but to get an away win in these circumstances is a great win, period. You can point out how bad Utah is or how ugly the game was down the stretch, but winning in the NBA is hard and the Lakers did it easily with one starter and two rotation guards.

Just enjoy the wins sometimes, guys. Especially such a dark affair. I sometimes feel like we’ve lost track of the plot.

If this was a healthy Lakers team that was just struggling to win in Utah, alarm bells should be ringing. But their bench was mostly made up of players who saw more minutes in the G League than in the NBA this year.

With this in mind, let’s dive into victory. As always, grades are based on each player’s expectations. The grade “B” represents the average performance of that player.

LeBron James

36 minutes, 27 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 blocks, 12-28 FG, 0-9 3PT, 3-3 FT, +0

You know, if you ignore the 3-point shooting that night, this was every bit as good as LeBron’s looked in recent games. Perhaps most importantly, his turnovers went down on the night, as he had three – and the team total only five – despite having the ball in his hands for a long time.

We’ll see how he looks on the second night of a back-to-back game on Monday, but the Lakers needed a hero ball late in this game and he delivered.

Grade: A-

Rui Hachimura

40 minutes, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5-11 FG, 2-8 3PT, 1-2 FT, -2

It was a far cry from his performance in his last trip to Utah, when he scored 36 points last season. He hit a few timely 3-pointers and also had a nice fast break with LeBron in the fourth period that ended with a dunk.

Even though Rui’s offense has had more misses than hits this season, it’s worth noting that he’s now just a good rebounder. Last season he had 12 games with at least seven rebounds. Monday was the fifth time he’s done that in 15 games this season.

Grade: B

Anthony Davis

39 minutes, 33 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 13-25 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, +6

A nice boost for the Lakers and AD on Monday. After a game on Friday that felt a lot like last season, AD got the ball early and often on Sunday.

Nearly half of his points came in the third quarter, a welcome sight for a Lakers team that struggled to open the second half. He had some big throws in the fourth period and also believes he would have gotten a big block late too if Will Hardy hadn’t called a crazy timeout late.

Grade: A

Dalton Knecht

30 minutes, 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2-10 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -19

This is one of those nights where Knecht looked a bit like a rookie at times. He had problems with his shot, his only attempt from distance coming off an offensive rebound from Rui.

It’s okay for that to happen sometimes. I would expect it to happen more than a few times. But even on an off night when he shot the ball, it was nice to see him grab seven boards.

Grade: C

Gabe Vincent

32 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, -8

That will be the case for a few guys on Sunday, but this was Vincent’s best game as a Laker. It’s not a funny or even encouraging fact, just a fact.

When he got into the starting lineup, Gabe looked as comfortable as he had all year until he exited the game. And towards the end of the fourth round he was more than able to hold his own in the transitions and was even involved in forcing a few turnovers.

Grade: B+

Max Christie

30 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-6 FG, 0-2 3PT, 8-10 FT, +10

I probably wouldn’t go so far as to say this was Christie’s best game as a Laker, but it was really good for reasons that aren’t usually the case. The free throw attempts jump off the screen on his stat line. He only shot 46 free throws all of last season.

This was as encouraging a game from Christie as he has had since he re-entered the rotation.

Grade: B+

Jalen Hood-Schifino

13 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 1-1 FG, 2-2 FT, +12

This is hands down the best game for JHS as a Laker. Not only has JHS been thrown into rotation minutes, he also just returned from injury.

While it was a modest achievement, it was a productive one. He was useful on offense and annoying on defense. It would be encouraging for his future if he had one with the Lakers, but it was important for a win and that’s what matters.

Grade: B+

Armel Traore

11 minutes, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3PT, +11

Traore is the type of big man who can provide energy and that made him particularly valuable on Sunday. For him it was only seconds, but he was important and helpful.

Grade: B

Christian Koloko

For Koloko it was only nine minutes that evening, so no grade. His biggest contribution was defending the inbounder on the final possession and helping block Sexton’s final shot.

JJ Redick

After a Suns game in which the Lakers looked terrible defensively, gave up 127 points and Redick said things needed to change, they allowed 101 to the Spurs, 101 to the Thunder and 104 to the Jazz.

This is a big improvement at an important time. As ugly as the offense looked on Sunday, the defense helped them win this game.

Grade: A-

DNPs from Sunday: None

Inactive on Sunday: Jaxson Hayes, Bronny James, Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, D’Angelo Russell, Quincy Olivari, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.