Put the league on notice. Give us the chip now. We may never lose again.
Mdgt_Pope
Yayyy
Will Hardy for MVP, keeping THT on the bench in crunch time to cut down on dumb TOs
Trento322
Part of me wants to be happy that we won, part of me would be happy if we didn’t win another game this season and got the number 1 pick in the draft
Denotsyek
22-54 bench points!
thehelpfulcamel
Game ball goes to Sexton and Kessler. Jazz lose this without them going off in the fourth. Sexton’s playmaking down the stretch was good too.
Yurtseven deserves rotation minutes going forward. He holds his own against other bigs.
Still need to sort out the ridiculous turnovers, but a much MUCH needed win.
FERFreak731
I only saw the last minute of the game, but seeing the boxscore, it looks like Keyonte, and Blocker had good games. 2 players who have All Star potential for our franchise
Also maybe Blocker didn’t play great to start the season because he was injured, but if the injury is healed, and last years Blocker being back, the Jazz might not be garbage anymore
JoeIngles
GAME NOTES:
Firstly, welcome back Walker Kessler! Although he didn’t start, he was the most impactful big man today. I’ve missed seeing him out there, and it looked like he missed being on the floor the way he was playing.
Secondly, kind of a wonky starting lineup today, and it surprisingly didn’t do too bad. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible. Keyonte, Dunn, Tech, Collins, Yurtseven. They exceeded my expectations, but weren’t the best starting lineup.
Now let’s talk about tonight’s MVP, Collin Sexton. He started off terribly, going 1-6 his first 6 shots. Had bad turnovers, and wasn’t able to get anything going the first half. It wasn’t until about 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter that he started to get going. He hit the closest buzzer beating layup I’ve ever seen to end the quarter, and was our entire offense the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. Our offense stalled when he didn’t have the ball, which is probably the first time I’ve ever said that about Sexton. Unreal shotmaking and great decision making for Sexton on both ends. He finished with 16 points, 6 assists, only 2 turnovers, 5-13 shooting, 3-8 from 3. That second half was electric from him.
Our second most impactful player is Walker Kessler. He came off the bench and only played 21 minutes, and had 11 points, 11 rebounds (6 offensive!!!!0, and 2 blocks. 5 fouls in those 21 minutes isn’t too good, but again, it wasn’t until the start of the fourth quarter where Kessler started to get going. He had 9 of his 11 points in the fourth, and the players (Olynyk, THT, Keyonte, Sexton) were all looking for him on drives in the dunkers spot. Welcome back Sheriff!
John Collins had a pretty good game as well. He kind of looked clunky to start the game offensively, and when he got out of his own head and played naturally he played pretty good. 5-11 shooting, 9 rebounds, 1 block in 23 minutes. He did have 3 turnovers which I would’ve loved to have seen cleaned up, and he only had 3 points in the second half, but that’s about it for his negatives.
Keyonte George only made 3 pointers tonight, going 4-9 from beyond the arc. 0-4 from inside, which is something I’d love to see improvement on. He was missing layups and floaters, but at least his 3 was falling. He had one of his worst games turnover-wise tonight, with 5 turnovers. He finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, all in 26 minutes. He made some good passes, but also looked like he struggled reading passing lanes, which led to more turnovers than he usually has. He looks like he has great timing on his lobs, which I’m sure Kessler & John Collins will appreciate.
Kris Dunn got the start, and I thought he looked really good. He plays off of Keyonte really well, and shot 4-7 from the field, had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, but 2 turnovers to cap off an 8 point night. He played the least amount of minutes on the team tonight, and I don’t know why. In my eyes he is still the better option out of him and THT.
I was surprised Omer Yurtseven got the start instead of Olynyk, but I think it worked out well. It allowed Kessler & Yurtseven to play with other stretch bigs in Collins and Olynyk. Omer caught a nasty lob from Keyonte which was a big highlight tonight. He finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. 3-6 shooting, 0-3 from the arc. He did a good job defensively on Jonas Valanciunas, which is all you can ask.
Fontecchio got the start today over Agbaji, which is something I’ve been wanting. I feel like he played really well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him continue to start over Agbaji. 10 points, 2-7 from 3, 1-1 from inside the arc, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 block in 25 minutes. He was pretty quiet the second half, but I liked how he wasn’t hesitant to let it fly from deep.
Kelly Olynyk played really well paired with Kessler. 13 points, 4-6 shooting, 3-3 from deep, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers in 24 minutes. Led the team in +/- with +10. He had a big alley oop pass to Kessler which was a beauty. I love seeing the bigs play off of each other. One unique thing about Olynyk that I think is an extremely underrated skillset, is that he is able to be the PnR ball handler and make good reads. It is hard to stop when you have two 6’11″+ guys running a PnR.
THT didn’t look bad tonight. He had a decent second half, and benefited form Sexton going off. THT shot the least amount of shots on the team tonight with just 5 shots, going 2-5, 1-3 from 3. 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers to go with 5 points.
Agbaji has impressed me the last two games by being more aggressive on offense. 3-8 shooting, 2-7 from 3, 9 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 rebound tonight. I don’t think he impacted Brandon Ingram too much, but his impact was more noticeable on a team level, if that makes sense. I think he elevates the team defensively when he is on the floor. He was active in passing lanes, and hunting for the ball.
First half turnovers were a big issue again for us, carrying on the same trend as last game. I’m glad we were able to get out of our own heads and get back to good team basketball, without forcing too much.
Our rebounding, fast break points, and bench production won us this game. We continue to dominate the boards on both ends, and I think that having Kessler back we will continue on that trend. Our bench looks great when Sexton is able to hit some shots haha.
Such a big win, highlighted by that insane comeback in the fourth quarter!
5-11! We snap our 4 game losing skid!
RiPPn9
So many factors tonight, no Clarkson which is usually a net negative, the return of Kessler, catching the Pels on the 2nd night of a back to back, great dub no matter what it was.
mrcolty5
It’s a long season, I wish our fans wouldn’t just assume this team sucks because with Kessler and the group moving the ball they can compete. I understand the last week was tough but there’s signs that this season could have a turnaround especially with Kessler’s added defense.
Shout-out to Sexton and Simone tonight, completely dogged on them but they showed up late
StopRevvingYourCar
Will hardy doubters in shambles
ViridianFlea
Man, something clicked in that locker room during halftime. Took way better care of the ball, made smart passes (ignoring the last 2 minutes of the 4th), and fought for points in the paint. Not to mention defense was absolutely shutdown. Opened the range up for our shooters and everything fell into place. What a great adjustment. Good win boys and girls.
austinc668
Feels like a fog cleared over the valley. I missed this feeling.
Much better effort out of that group tonight. Keyonte is our future, happy Kessler is back, Yurt deserves minutes.
Let’s get another W on Monday!
divineinvasion
Great defense in the 4th quarter, especially from Spaghettio
16patterjo
This was Hardy’s best coaching performance all season. Well done, Will!
lopodo777
Kessler looked horrible on offence until the ball started to move better. Very happy hes back, Sextin when he is smart he is a dawg and Keyonte with a dagger, you love to see it
genewolfepeace
Someone tell me if I’m being a homer here, but Keyonte gets a terrible whistle, right? I thought there were a couple shots that most players would get the call on, and the turnover at the end was obviously Zeller charging into his path. There’s been a few games where I thought a lot of contact lead to a no-call with Keyonte’s floaters / layups.
spatulator15
Out of the loop, why did Lauri and Clarkson not play?
JazzYotesRSL
Good to be back home, good to have Kessler back, good to remember what it feels like to win an NBA game. If Sexton could just play the rest of the year the same way he did the fourth quarter, he’d be my favorite player.
19 Comments
So…….that Markkanen guy was the problem all along
Put the league on notice. Give us the chip now. We may never lose again.
Yayyy
Will Hardy for MVP, keeping THT on the bench in crunch time to cut down on dumb TOs
Part of me wants to be happy that we won, part of me would be happy if we didn’t win another game this season and got the number 1 pick in the draft
22-54 bench points!
Game ball goes to Sexton and Kessler. Jazz lose this without them going off in the fourth. Sexton’s playmaking down the stretch was good too.
Yurtseven deserves rotation minutes going forward. He holds his own against other bigs.
Still need to sort out the ridiculous turnovers, but a much MUCH needed win.
I only saw the last minute of the game, but seeing the boxscore, it looks like Keyonte, and Blocker had good games. 2 players who have All Star potential for our franchise
Also maybe Blocker didn’t play great to start the season because he was injured, but if the injury is healed, and last years Blocker being back, the Jazz might not be garbage anymore
GAME NOTES:
Firstly, welcome back Walker Kessler! Although he didn’t start, he was the most impactful big man today. I’ve missed seeing him out there, and it looked like he missed being on the floor the way he was playing.
Secondly, kind of a wonky starting lineup today, and it surprisingly didn’t do too bad. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible. Keyonte, Dunn, Tech, Collins, Yurtseven. They exceeded my expectations, but weren’t the best starting lineup.
Now let’s talk about tonight’s MVP, Collin Sexton. He started off terribly, going 1-6 his first 6 shots. Had bad turnovers, and wasn’t able to get anything going the first half. It wasn’t until about 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter that he started to get going. He hit the closest buzzer beating layup I’ve ever seen to end the quarter, and was our entire offense the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. Our offense stalled when he didn’t have the ball, which is probably the first time I’ve ever said that about Sexton. Unreal shotmaking and great decision making for Sexton on both ends. He finished with 16 points, 6 assists, only 2 turnovers, 5-13 shooting, 3-8 from 3. That second half was electric from him.
Our second most impactful player is Walker Kessler. He came off the bench and only played 21 minutes, and had 11 points, 11 rebounds (6 offensive!!!!0, and 2 blocks. 5 fouls in those 21 minutes isn’t too good, but again, it wasn’t until the start of the fourth quarter where Kessler started to get going. He had 9 of his 11 points in the fourth, and the players (Olynyk, THT, Keyonte, Sexton) were all looking for him on drives in the dunkers spot. Welcome back Sheriff!
John Collins had a pretty good game as well. He kind of looked clunky to start the game offensively, and when he got out of his own head and played naturally he played pretty good. 5-11 shooting, 9 rebounds, 1 block in 23 minutes. He did have 3 turnovers which I would’ve loved to have seen cleaned up, and he only had 3 points in the second half, but that’s about it for his negatives.
Keyonte George only made 3 pointers tonight, going 4-9 from beyond the arc. 0-4 from inside, which is something I’d love to see improvement on. He was missing layups and floaters, but at least his 3 was falling. He had one of his worst games turnover-wise tonight, with 5 turnovers. He finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, all in 26 minutes. He made some good passes, but also looked like he struggled reading passing lanes, which led to more turnovers than he usually has. He looks like he has great timing on his lobs, which I’m sure Kessler & John Collins will appreciate.
Kris Dunn got the start, and I thought he looked really good. He plays off of Keyonte really well, and shot 4-7 from the field, had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, but 2 turnovers to cap off an 8 point night. He played the least amount of minutes on the team tonight, and I don’t know why. In my eyes he is still the better option out of him and THT.
I was surprised Omer Yurtseven got the start instead of Olynyk, but I think it worked out well. It allowed Kessler & Yurtseven to play with other stretch bigs in Collins and Olynyk. Omer caught a nasty lob from Keyonte which was a big highlight tonight. He finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. 3-6 shooting, 0-3 from the arc. He did a good job defensively on Jonas Valanciunas, which is all you can ask.
Fontecchio got the start today over Agbaji, which is something I’ve been wanting. I feel like he played really well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him continue to start over Agbaji. 10 points, 2-7 from 3, 1-1 from inside the arc, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 block in 25 minutes. He was pretty quiet the second half, but I liked how he wasn’t hesitant to let it fly from deep.
Kelly Olynyk played really well paired with Kessler. 13 points, 4-6 shooting, 3-3 from deep, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers in 24 minutes. Led the team in +/- with +10. He had a big alley oop pass to Kessler which was a beauty. I love seeing the bigs play off of each other. One unique thing about Olynyk that I think is an extremely underrated skillset, is that he is able to be the PnR ball handler and make good reads. It is hard to stop when you have two 6’11″+ guys running a PnR.
THT didn’t look bad tonight. He had a decent second half, and benefited form Sexton going off. THT shot the least amount of shots on the team tonight with just 5 shots, going 2-5, 1-3 from 3. 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers to go with 5 points.
Agbaji has impressed me the last two games by being more aggressive on offense. 3-8 shooting, 2-7 from 3, 9 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 rebound tonight. I don’t think he impacted Brandon Ingram too much, but his impact was more noticeable on a team level, if that makes sense. I think he elevates the team defensively when he is on the floor. He was active in passing lanes, and hunting for the ball.
First half turnovers were a big issue again for us, carrying on the same trend as last game. I’m glad we were able to get out of our own heads and get back to good team basketball, without forcing too much.
Our rebounding, fast break points, and bench production won us this game. We continue to dominate the boards on both ends, and I think that having Kessler back we will continue on that trend. Our bench looks great when Sexton is able to hit some shots haha.
Such a big win, highlighted by that insane comeback in the fourth quarter!
5-11! We snap our 4 game losing skid!
So many factors tonight, no Clarkson which is usually a net negative, the return of Kessler, catching the Pels on the 2nd night of a back to back, great dub no matter what it was.
It’s a long season, I wish our fans wouldn’t just assume this team sucks because with Kessler and the group moving the ball they can compete. I understand the last week was tough but there’s signs that this season could have a turnaround especially with Kessler’s added defense.
Shout-out to Sexton and Simone tonight, completely dogged on them but they showed up late
Will hardy doubters in shambles
Man, something clicked in that locker room during halftime. Took way better care of the ball, made smart passes (ignoring the last 2 minutes of the 4th), and fought for points in the paint. Not to mention defense was absolutely shutdown. Opened the range up for our shooters and everything fell into place. What a great adjustment. Good win boys and girls.
Feels like a fog cleared over the valley. I missed this feeling.
Much better effort out of that group tonight. Keyonte is our future, happy Kessler is back, Yurt deserves minutes.
Let’s get another W on Monday!
Great defense in the 4th quarter, especially from Spaghettio
This was Hardy’s best coaching performance all season. Well done, Will!
Kessler looked horrible on offence until the ball started to move better. Very happy hes back, Sextin when he is smart he is a dawg and Keyonte with a dagger, you love to see it
Someone tell me if I’m being a homer here, but Keyonte gets a terrible whistle, right? I thought there were a couple shots that most players would get the call on, and the turnover at the end was obviously Zeller charging into his path. There’s been a few games where I thought a lot of contact lead to a no-call with Keyonte’s floaters / layups.
Out of the loop, why did Lauri and Clarkson not play?
Good to be back home, good to have Kessler back, good to remember what it feels like to win an NBA game. If Sexton could just play the rest of the year the same way he did the fourth quarter, he’d be my favorite player.