LOS ANGELES – The day started with the Lakers learning their backcourt depth suffered another serious dent and ended with them losing a key piece to their frontcourt.

In between, the Lakers suffered a 107-101 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday at Staples Center and their third consecutive defeat as they struggled to apply patchwork to a ripped-up quilt.

Lou Williams had 38 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the Lakers, who rallied in the fourth quarter and nearly stole a victory despite finishing their eighth loss in 11 games without five injured regulars.

Two 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 scored nine points early in the fourth quarter, and Julius Randle’s layup trimmed Utah’s lead to 98-95.

But Rodney Hood nailed two tough shots during Utah’s ensuing 9-2 run to ice it.

“He’s been pretty good,” Coach Luke Walton said of Williams, who missed his last five shots. “It’s been an impressive two games for him. I feel bad we lost both of them, you give that much effort and energy you hope it would help the team get a win. When we need him, he steps up on the court and I think that gives other players a lot of confidence.”

With the Lakers (10-13) already dealing with injuries to point guard D’Angelo Russell (left knee) and Nick Young (right calf), the Lakers learned backup guard Jose Calderon will miss 2-4 weeks after an MRI confirmed a strain in his right hamstring. Though the Lakers considered forward Larry Nance Jr. healthy enough to be on the active roster, Walton still sat him so he could further heal his right knee contusion. And Lakers forward Tarik Black left with 4:16 left in the third quarter after spraining his right ankle.

“A lot of people in professional sports they get paid win or lose, and our group keeps fighting no matter what the lead is, no matter what the deficit is,” said Walton, whose team was playing its ninth game in 14 days. “I told them to keep their heads up. I’m proud of the way they fought.

“You want them to feel the pain but you also want them to move on from it.”

The Lakers rallied to keep it close behind the backcourt duo that has fueled the team’s league-leading bench.

Jordan Clarkson added 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Williams made 13 of 27 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Williams converted on a floater that cut the Jazz’s lead to 100-97 with 3:26 left, but the Jazz held the Lakers to two field goals after that and Williams missed his last five shots.

Instead of Williams and Clarkson carrying the Lakers starting lineup, Walton fielded a lineup few expected even when accounting for the litany of injuries.

After serving primarily as a mentor in his 17th NBA season, seldom-used forward Metta World Peace joined a group with no players under 6-foot-7 as a counter to the Jazz’s big lineup. The 37-year-old started at shooting guard and made little impact with four points on 2-of-5 shooting with two fouls in 12 minutes. Rookie forward Brandon Ingram starting at point guard was less of a surprise given his increasing ball-handling duties, but Ingram was held to four points on 1-of-6 shooting while posting more fouls (three), rebounds (two) and assists (two) than baskets.

Walton made the decision to keep his top-ranked bench as intact as possible. Williams and Clarkson helped cut the Jazz’s 19-point lead to single digits in the fourth quarter, and it was hard not to wonder if the Lakers could have made further inroads had the duo started the game or the second half, when the Jazz went on a 7-0 run. Seldom-used guard Marcelo Huertas also went scoreless in 13 minutes.

“It’s been tough, because we’re kind of short-handed right now,” Clarkson said. “It just shows we ain’t backing down from anybody, and we ain’t letting up. This time will pass and we’ll get back to winning games.”

Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and Utah (13-9) overcame the absence of ill coach Quin Snyder for its sixth victory in seven games. Hood scored 16 points and hit two difficult shots in the waning minutes. Rudy Gobert (14 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocked shots), Boris Diaw (12), Dante Exum (10) and Shelvin Mack (10) also scored in double figures.

The Lakers could receive some good news when Russell visits team doctors on Tuesday after staying sidelined the past two weeks recovering from soreness from his left leg. Though Young no longer wears a protective boot, he will return in one week at the earliest. Perhaps Nance and Black will be available for Wednesday’s game in Houston.

But for now, the Lakers could only labor through another loss with a diminished roster.

Contact the writer: mmedina@scng.com