LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers began the game without four injured regulars, and lost a fifth in the second half. The Utah Jazz were merely without their coach and second-leading scorer.In a game defined by who was missing, Gordon Hayward and the Jazz continued to assert themselves in the Western Conference.Hayward scored 23 points and Utah overcame the absence of ill coach Quin Snyder for its sixth victory in seven games, 107-101 over the depleted Lakers on Monday night.Rodney Hood scored 16 points and hit two difficult shots in the waning minutes to keep the Jazz on track to win their only road game in a nine-game stretch. They made up for the absence of George Hill with scoring balance: seven players managed at least nine points.Veteran assistant Igor Kokoskov ran the Jazz for Snyder, who fell ill earlier in the day and decided he couldnt coach shortly before game time. Utahs bus also got stuck in traffic and arrived late at Staples Center.Its difficult, but to be a pro, you have to be there and be prepared for your team, Kokoskov said of his last-minute NBA head coaching debut. The team needs you, and you have to step up. Thats what we ask from our guys, and thats what you do as a coach.Players on both benches stepped into important roles.Lou Williams had 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who rallied in the fourth quarter and nearly stole a victory despite finishing their eighth loss in 11 games without a large chunk of their roster.Tarik Black sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and joined DAngelo Russell, Nick Young, Jose Calderon and Larry Nance Jr. on the sidelines as Los Angeles lost its third straight while playing its ninth game in 14 days. Injuries and a brutal schedule have conspired to slow down the Lakers encouraging start under first-year coach Luke Walton, but Williams led another thrilling rally.Its been tough, because were kind of short-handed right now, said Jordan Clarkson, who scored 17 points. It just shows we aint backing down from anybody, and we aint letting up. This time will pass and well get back to winning games.Williams scored nine points early in the fourth quarter, and Julius Randles layup trimmed Utahs lead to 98-95. But Hood nailed two tough shots during Utahs ensuing 9-2 run to ice it.Quin is our leader, so it definitely was a different situation for us, Hayward said after his eighth consecutive 20-point game. I thought Coach Igor and the rest of the staff did a great job.LOUUUUUTwo nights after scoring 40 points in Memphis, Williams put together the first back-to-back 30-point games of his 12-year NBA career. He also became the first Lakers player to score at least 38 points in successive games since Kobe Bryant in March 2013.When we need him, he has stepped up on the court, Walton said. That gives other people a lot of confidence.KOKOSKOVS TURNKokoskov got his first game in charge of an NBA team after a long career as an assistant with six franchises and as a head coach in Europe. The 44-year-old Serbian first arrived stateside in 1999 as an assistant to Snyder at Missouri.RON-RON RETURNSWith his top two point guards out, Walton came up with an unorthodox starting lineup due to injuries. Seldom-used veteran Metta World Peace joined a group with no players under 6-foot-7 as a counter to the Jazzs big lineup. World Peace became the 11th player to start a game for the Lakers this season. The 37-year-old veteran hadnt started since March 18, and he had appeared in just four of the Lakers previous 14 games.TIP-INSJazz: Kokoskov is the head coach of Slovenias national team in his spare time. He also spent seven years as Georgias head coach. ... Hill missed his third straight game with a sprained left big toe.Lakers: Calderon will be out at least two more weeks with a strained right hamstring. ... Russell will be re-evaluated Tuesday to determine how much longer he will be sidelined by a sore knee. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in the joint two weeks ago.UP NEXTJazz: Host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.Lakers: At the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.Shaquille ONeal Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Dean Wade Cavaliers Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/Brad-Daugherty-City-Edition-Jersey/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Collin Sexton Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Terrell Brandon Cavaliers Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games.Claudio Ranieri might not be keen to reveal the secrets to Leicesters success this season, but for centre-back pairing Wes Morgan and Robert Huth, its been all about keeping it simple.The experienced duo have been a mainstay for the table-topping Foxes this season, missing only one match between them, when Huth was suspended against Everton in December.Their effectiveness has been highlighted in recent weeks as the Premier League leaders have kept five successive clean sheets to keep their title bid on track, but what has made them so good this season? For starters, of the teams in the top four, they have played many more minutes together than the regular centre-back pairings at Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City.With both players enjoying injury-free seasons and only one match missed through suspension, Huth and Morgan have seen 5850 minutes of action. Robert Huth scored twice in a 3-1 win over Manchester City in February Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld had started every game for Tottenham, until Vertonghen suffered a knee injury against Crystal Palace in January that kept him out for over two months.The Belgians have played 5115 minutes together this season, ahead of Arsenals most regular pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker (4124 minutes) and Nicolas Otamendi and Martin Demichelis (3189 minutes) for Manchester City.Not only have Huth and Morgan got more game time, but they have done things slightly differently to their rivals. Most blocks among defenders in top four Player Team Appearances Blocks Wes Morgan Leicester 33 34 Robert Huth Leicester 32 31 Toby Alderweireld Tottenham 33 26 Laurent Koscielny Arsenal 27 21 Jan Vertonghen Tottenham 24 16 According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Alderweireld, Koscielny, Otamendi and Vertonghen have all made over 1000 passes this season, while Morgan and Huth have made just 516 and 525 respectively.ddddddddddddEven Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has completed more passes than Morgan, despite having played 20 games less.But it is in other areas where Morgan and Huth have excelled. Leicester trio on PFA shortlist Jamie Vardy, NGolo Kante and Riyad Mahrez on shortlist for PFA Players Player of the Year The Foxes centre-backs have both made more blocks than any defender among the top-four sides, with Morgan leading the way with 34 ahead of Huth on 31.Alderweireld has made 26 and Koscielny (21) and Vertonghen (21) complete the top five, although the latter two have both missed several games this season.In terms of minutes per block, Morgan and Huth average 87 and 92 respectively, well ahead of Koscielny (109), Alderweireld (114) and Gabriel Paulista (132). Wes Morgan recently scored his first goal of the season to secure victory over Southampton The Foxes duo also rank highly when it comes to clearances - only Alderweireld (252) has made more than Huth (224) and Morgan (188) this season.They have been effective at breaking up play too, with both making it into the top five for number of interceptions.Arsenals Koscielny (105) has made the most this season, ahead of Morgan (85), Otamendi (82) and Huth (71).Next up for the Leicester duo is a home match with West Ham on Sunday, which you can watch live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier LeagueAlso See:Foxes keen on HernandezLeicester trio on PFA shortlistOkazaki: Kante league MVPPremier League table ' ' '