Utah Jazz

The Lakers have announced their schedule for the 2013-14 preseason, including two games to be played in China. On Oct. 15, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors will play an exhibition game in Beijing at the MasterCard Center. Three days later, they'll meet again in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Additionally the Lakers will play the following preseason games: Oct. 5 vs. Golden State Warriors in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 6 vs. Denver Nuggets at Staples Center Oct. 8 vs. Denver Nuggets in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 10 vs. Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas as MGM Grand Garden Arena Oct. 22 vs. Utah Jazz at Staples Center Oct. 25 vs. Utah Jazz at Honda Center Tickets for the six domestic preseason games go on sale on April 22 via Ticketmaster or www.Cbbankarena.com . The Lakers have also issued a fraud alert regarding purchases of 2013 playoff tickets from third-party sources, urging buyers to purchase directly from the team at Lakers Ticket Exchange . “We want to make sure buyers are knowledgeable about purchasing tickets from the secondary market,” said Tim Harris, senior vice president of business operations for the Lakers.

The Lakers have announced their schedule for the 2013-14 preseason, including two games to be played in China. On Oct. 15, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors will play an exhibition game in Beijing at the MasterCard Center. Three days later, they'll meet again in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Additionally the Lakers will play the following preseason games: Oct. 5 vs. Golden State Warriors in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 6 vs. Denver Nuggets at Staples Center Oct. 8 vs. Denver Nuggets in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 10 vs. Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas as MGM Grand Garden Arena Oct. 22 vs. Utah Jazz at Staples Center Oct. 25 vs. Utah Jazz at Honda Center Tickets for the six domestic preseason games go on sale on April 22 via Ticketmaster or www.Cbbankarena.com . The Lakers have also issued a fraud alert regarding purchases of 2013 playoff tickets from third-party sources, urging buyers to purchase directly from the team at Lakers Ticket Exchange . “We want to make sure buyers are knowledgeable about purchasing tickets from the secondary market,” said Tim Harris, senior vice president of business operations for the Lakers.

Join the Lakers-Jazz chat below!

Before taking the court against the Houston Rockets (45-36) on Wednesday night, the Lakers (44-37) clinched a playoff berth when the Grizzlies (56-26) defeated the Utah Jazz (43-39) in Memphis, 86-70. Power forward Zach Randolph had 25 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to the victory, which eliminated the Jazz from postseason contention. Center Al Jefferson had 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead Utah. Win or lose against the Rockets, the Lakers have qualified for the postseason.

The Utah Jazz got the last laugh on veteran guard Raja Bell, 36, whom they have been feuding with all season. The Jazz released Bell, who hadn't played for the team all season, on Sunday. But it's the timing of the release that makes it interesting: It came after the March 1 deadline for him to be picked up by another team and still be eligible for the playoffs. Any team that picks him up now can use him until the regular season ends, but won't be able to add him to their postseason roster.

The Lakers have been linked to Raja Bell since before he signed with the Utah Jazz in 2010.  Kobe Bryant tried to recruit Bell for the Lakers but the Jazz offered him a lucrative contract. Bell's relationship with Utah soured after two seasons. Now, in the final year of his deal, Bell has spent the entire season away from the team after both sides agreed to part ways. He's still under contract with the Jazz but has been inactive. Jazz Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin O'Connor spoke on 1280-AM "The Zone" about Bell on Monday.

Larry H. Miller, the car-sales mogul who turned the Utah Jazz into one of the NBA's most stable teams, died Friday at his home in Salt Lake City from complications of type 2 diabetes, the team announced. He was 64. Miller had a heart attack in June, then spent nearly two months in the hospital. He was in a wheelchair after his release, and his medical problems continued, leading to the amputation of his legs 6 inches below the knee in January.

Clippers tonight AT UTAH When: 7:30 PST. Where: EnergySolutions Arena. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, ESPN; Radio: 980, 1330. Records: Clippers 12-6, Jazz 12-7. Record vs. Jazz (2011-12): 0-1. Update: The Clippers haven't won a game in Salt Lake City since Jan. 22, 2003, a string of 16 games in row, including last month's 108-79 loss. But Chris Paul didn't play in that game because of a strained left hamstring.

Will the Lakers make the playoffs? According to sports book Bovada , the Lakers are the prohibitive favorite to beat out the Utah Jazz. Bovada gives Utah relatively scant odds at 3-to-1 compared to 1-to-5 odds for the Lakers. The Jazz (41-38) are a single game behind the eighth-place Lakers (42-37). Given that Utah owns the tiebreaker, one loss from the Lakers would give the Jazz the opportunity to climb into the postseason. Utah hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

With the Utah Jazz winning on Friday night in Portland, the Lakers fell to ninth place in the Western Conference standings. Both teams have a 37-36 record, but the Jazz hold the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of winning the head-to-head season series, 2-1. The Lakers and Jazz won't meet again over the final nine games of the regular season. After a stretch of improved play, injuries have again set the Lakers back.  Kobe Bryant has a bone spur in his foot. He recently missed two games with a severely sprained ankle.

Tension around L.A. Live is growing as the Los Angeles Lakers' 82-game season boils down to what most fans consider a “must-win” game. “We have to win tonight because, if not, we have no chance against the Thunder,” said Luis Ramirez, 35, a 27-year fan of the purple and gold. “We can beat San Antonio because they are banged up, we match up well and Tim Duncan is old. " The Kobe-less Lakers are in the driver's seat to make the NBA playoffs for the 60th time as a franchise and can vault into the No. 7 seeding with a win tonight over the Houston Rockets.

It was only a matter of time before Taiwan-based Next Media Animation took on Kobe Bryant's injury. A clip from the company loosely (and somewhat crudely) reenacts Bryant's season-ending Achilles' tendon tear, suffered Friday night in the Lakers' victory over the Golden State Warriors. On Saturday, Bryant underwent surgery to help repair the injury, which is expected to keep him out of action at six to nine months. The Next Media video shows a doctor shoving Bryant into a box that reads, "Here lies Kobe's career 1996-2013.

It's not just the Lakers and their fans who want to see the team make the playoffs. The 24-win Cleveland Cavaliers (24-57) have a vested interest in seeing the Lakers in the postseason. Conversely, the Phoenix Suns (25-56) are hoping the Utah Jazz (44-37) eclipse the Lakers (45-36) in the standings Wednesday. Future draft picks can make interesting bedfellows. As part of the Steve Nash trade this past summer, the Lakers sent their 2013 first-round pick to the Suns. While the pick is technically unprotected, final standings will dictate exactly which pick goes to Phoenix.

The Lakers (44-37) have one game remaining on their schedule, yet they could finish in four different spots in the Western Conference standings. With a win Wednesday against the Houston Rockets (45-35) at Staples Center, the Lakers guarantee themselves at least a playoff spot, with the worst position being the eighth seed - a probable matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder (59-21). The Utah Jazz (42-38) are in ninth place with two to play. If they lose at Minnesota on Monday or at Memphis on Wednesday, the Lakers clinch a playoff berth.

The Lakers needed to win all four games in Week 24 to stay ahead of the Utah Jazz. They did -- but in the process lost Kobe Bryant for the year with an Achilles' tendon tear. The week started with good news on the health front. Metta World Peace made a surprising return , just 12 days after knee surgery. Watching his teammates, especially Bryant, play major minutes gave World Peace incentive to get back on the floor ahead of his four-to-six-week time frame. Though World Peace was able to make it back for Tuesday's game against the New Orleans Hornets, Steve Nash still wasn't ready to return from hip and hamstring soreness.

While it doesn't soften the blow, Kobe Bryant was named Western Conference player of the week for games played April 8 through April 14. Bryant was lost for the season Friday after tearing his Achilles' tendon in a victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers won all four games this past week, all vital in the team's quest to finish in eighth place ahead of the Utah Jazz. Bryant played in the first three, averaging 37 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals. After surgery on Saturday, Bryant is expected to be out for at least six to nine months.

After losing to the Clippers, 109-95, the Lakers (40-37) have fallen back to ninth place behind the Utah Jazz (40-37) by virtue of Utah's tiebreaker. The Jazz play at Golden State on Sunday night against the Warriors (44-32). For the Lakers to make the playoffs, they need Utah to lose at least one more game -- making Lakers fans suddenly hardcore Warriors' fans for the night. Will the Lakers' players watch the game with so much at stake? "I usually watch the games anyway.  If I have a personal interest in it, I definitely watch it," said Pau Gasol, who noted he'd watch his brother Marc Gasol's game (Memphis Grizzlies)

The Lakers muscled through two must-win games in a row against a pair of sub-.500 teams (New Orleans and Toronto) but at this stretch of the season, style points are meaningless. What's important is the Lakers (32-31) gained a full game Friday on both the Utah Jazz (32-30) and Golden State Warriors (35-28).  The Houston Rockets (34-29) won in Oakland to stay two games ahead of the Lakers. The eighth-place Jazz are vulnerable, but only if the Lakers keep winning. Utah owns the tie-breaker, meaning their half-game lead over the Lakers is functionally 1 1/2. Utah still has to play games in New York, Oklahoma City, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Portland, Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis.

Will the Lakers make the playoffs? According to sports book Bovada , the Lakers are the prohibitive favorite to beat out the Utah Jazz. Bovada gives Utah relatively scant odds at 3-to-1 compared to 1-to-5 odds for the Lakers. The Jazz (41-38) are a single game behind the eighth-place Lakers (42-37). Given that Utah owns the tiebreaker, one loss from the Lakers would give the Jazz the opportunity to climb into the postseason. Utah hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

Join Lakers Now blogger Eric Pincus at 1 p.m. Tuesday to chat about the Lakers and their chances to make the playoffs as they chase the Utah Jazz. With five games to go, will the Lakers win out?  Will Utah lose another game to open the door? The Lakers lost a crucial battle on Sunday, getting swept by the Clippers. They're now half a game behind the Jazz in the standings, and Utah owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. The challenge starts at Staples Center on Tuesday against the New Orleans Hornets.