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. 4 The 215-run stand between Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali was Pakistans fourth-biggest opening partnership in Tests. This was the fourth double-century stand by Pakistan openers - and their third against West Indies. The last double-century opening partnership for Pakistan was 219 between Imran Nazir and Mohammad Wasim against the same opposition in Bridgetown in 2000.1997 The last time both Pakistan openers faced 200 or more balls in the same Test innings - Aamer Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed, also against West Indies, in Karachi. Here, Aslam faced 212 balls while Azhar faced 268 balls till end of the first days play.407 Balls played by Azhar and Aslam in their first-wicket partnership - the most for Pakistan in an opening stand (where ball-by-ball information is available). The previous longest stand was 339 balls between Imran Farhat and Salman Butt in their stand of 129 runs against New Zealand in Napier in 2009-10.3 Number of century opening partnerships for Pakistan in the first innings of a Test in the last 20 years. Shehzad and Hafeez had added 178 in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15, and Butt and Yasir Hameed at the SCG in 2004-05. They had eight such stands prior to that in 35 years.178 Previous highest opening stand in the UAE, between Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15. Azhar and Aslams partnership is the first doouble-century partnership for any team in the UAE.dddddddddddd2 Pakistan players who scored more centuries in their first 50 Tests than Azhars 11. Hanif Mohammad and Younis Khan had made 12 centuries at the same stage of their careers. Mohammad Yousuf also had 11 hundreds in his first 50 Tests.193 Runs scored by Azhar as opener in seven innings prior to this match. He had not made a single fifty; his highest was 49. His previous ten centuries were all scored at No. 3.3 Fifties for Aslam in his last three Tests, including this match. He had made 82 and 70 against England at Edgbaston a couple of months back. The innings of 90 in this innings is his best so far in Tests in eight innings.2005 The last time an opening pair added more than 200 runs against West Indies outside the West Indies. Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey had put on 231 runs in Hobart. There were two more double-century opening stands against West Indies in between, both at their home and both in Bridgetown.3.90 Economy of West Indies opening bowlers on the first day of this match - Shannon Gabriel leaked 55 runs at 3.92 and Miguel Cummins 62 at 3.87. The rest of the bowlers conceded runs at 2.65 and none of them had economy rate of more than three. ' ' '