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Expectations.

Tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, for perhaps the first time this season, the Utah Jazz will face that dynamic against an opponent.

If pundits and a fan base are to be believed, the Jazz are supposed to beat Los Angeles handily tonight at EnergySolutions Arena. They are supposed to win, and win handily. They are supposed to - dare we say - dominate Byron Scott and his troops.

This is what happens when you come out of the all-star break, defeat the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs and make it look relatively simple in doing so. This is what happens when Rudy Gobert moves into the starting lineup, and the defense looks as good as almost any in the NBA.

"In general, when you have a young team you worry about maturity," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "That's going to be the challenge for us tonight, and not just tonight, but going forward as well."

The Jazz are 21-34 heading into tonight's matchup, winners in four of their last five games, and looking more cohesive with every passing night. Slowly, Quin Snyder's vision is becoming reality. This Utah team is playing the unselfish brand of basketball that Snyder preached in his introductory press conference. Defensively, they are locking down on the perimeter and deterring foes at the rim.

So this Lakers team should be a walkover, right? They are 14-41 on the season, 2-8 in their last 10 games, and without Nick Young - er, Swaggy P - tonight. They are also without Ronnie Price, the former Jazz point guard. He underwent elbow surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.

Here's the thing though. Los Angeles - even in the midst of a dreadful season - is still playing hard. The Lakers are coming off a stirring overtime win on Sunday against the Boston Celtics, and they are well rested, even if injured.

So, the Jazz may have heightened expectation, but they still face an opponent that won't come out and lay down. And even with the great defense, Utah's no question lost some inside scoring punch in the wake of trading Enes Kanter. The Jazz haven't cracked 100 points in the two games following the all-star break.

"For us, the focus will continue to be to to try and play well," Snyder said. "We have to control what we can control. That's the way we have to approach tonight."

Tony Jones