by Daniel Olsen
When the Jazz were starting a win-streak against the Milwaukee Bucks almost a month ago, a franchise record 25 threes is what it took for them to catch fire. A month later, the night after beating the Atlanta Hawks, they caught fire yet again with 26 threes to record their third straight win with a final score of 138-121 in Charlotte.
It wasn’t smooth sailing the whole way as the Hornets raced out to a 11-2 lead before Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder called a timeout. Once the Jazz caught fire, they could not be extinguished. The Jazz were putting up borderline All-Star numbers as they recorded over 30 points in each quarter.
Jazz Stars shine:
Speaking of 30 points, two Jazz players hit that mark on this Friday night contest. Donovan Mitchell had 30 and Bojan Bogdanovic had 31 of his own with a team high seven made three-pointers.
Two Jazz players had double-doubles for the night. Joe Ingles recorded one with 10 points and 11 assists while Gobert had 12 points and a game high 15 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson recorded a game-high 15 points off the bench.
Former Jazz Star gets his stats:
The Jazz faced Gordon Hayward for the first time since he became a member of the Charlotte Hornets. The Jazz beat Hayward four out of the six times while he was in Boston. There is an asterisk in that first season when he had a gruesome leg injury to start the 2017-2018 campaign.
While his team came up short, Hayward did not disappoint. He had a double-double of his own with 25 points and 10 boards. Lamelo Ball, a star guard taken with the third pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, scored a game high 34 points.
Jazz Notes:
• With the win, the Jazz are a perfect 3-0 against the Southeast Division. The next opponent the Jazz will face in this Division is Saturday, February 13, 2021. They will be hosting the Miami Heat.
• Donovan Mitchell recorded his fifth 30-point game this season. Two of those performances have come in the young month of February.
• The Jazz are off to a blazing 18-5 start. This is one of the top five best starts they have had in franchise history. The last time they had a better start through 23 games was when they went 19-4 in the 1996-1997 campaign.
• This is the first season the Jazz have sported the Jordan brand on their statement jerseys. The Jazz wore this jersey tonight against the Charlotte Hornets, the team owned by Michael Jordan. The Jazz will wear this jersey again when the two teams play in Salt Lake City on Monday, February 22, 2021.
• The Jazz currently have the best record in the NBA. They will be tested this month as seven of their remaining ten opponents currently have winning records.
• Rudy Gobert is currently third in rebounds with 13.4 per game. Clint Capela recently surpassed Gobert after a strong showing on the boards in January and February. Gobert has only recorded 9.5 boards per game in February so far. He is also second in blocks per game in the NBA.
• Jordan Clarkson is currently leading the Sixth Man of the Year conversation with 17.7 points per game off the bench so far this season. Only Caris Lavert on the Indiana Pacers is averaging more per game off the bench with 18.5. The two will face each other next on Super Bowl Sunday. The game will be broadcast on February 7, 2021 at 11 AM MST.
Featured image courtesy Jacob Kupferman, Associated Press