Pregame blog: Jazz vs. Lakers preview

Here are a few things to watch for tonight as the Utah Jazz face the Los Angeles Lakers

Derrick Favors • The Jazz' starting power forward will be back on the floor for the first time since the preseason opener. Jazz coach Quin Snyder confirmed before the game that Favors will be on a minutes restriction. Favors will initially come off the bench, which should give Utah's second unit a boost. He went through practice on Thursday, and went through shootaround Friday morning without a hitch.

The second unit • Burned badly against the Portland Trail Blazers — Portland's bench outscored Utah's 38-16 — the Jazz' bench needs to play better against the Lakers. Snyder was emphatic about that on Thursday following practice. Favors returning should help significantly in this regard. The Lakers have an explosive bench scorer in Jordan Clarkson, so containing him will be a must.

Pace of play • The Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets on Wednesday by running up and down the floor, launching 3-pointers and generally engaging in a track meet. That's not how the Jazz play, or want to play.

"We've got to control the tempo," Utah point guard George Hill said at shootaround on Friday morning.

The encore • Against the Trail Blazers, Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood looked unstoppable at times, scoring 29 and 26 points, respectively. With Gordon Hayward still nursing his broken finger, their scoring and overall offense will be essential, as well as Hood's defense on Nick Young, who is capable of taking games over with his shooting.

Of note • Hayward went through his normal pregame routine on Friday, shooting a basketball with two hands publicly for the first time since breaking his finger. He still caught the ball a little gingerly. But once he did catch it, his shooting motion looked pretty normal.

Starting lineups

Utah: George Hill, Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw

Los Angeles: D'Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Luol Deng, Julius Randle, Timofey Mozgov