by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck of USA TODAY Sports.
The Utah Jazz (31-35) looks to end their four-game losing streak against the Orlando Magic (27-39) during their six-game trip.
Everything But Stuff
With the battle of two Rookie of the Year candidates, Walker Kessler (13/3/10) showed his defensive dominance early. Within the first three minutes of the game, Kessler was able to get three blocks with ease. Even with Kessler’s defensive prowess, Utah still struggled to control the ball as they hit the halfway mark of the first with four turnovers. For fans who were following from home online were unable to see live stats since it stopped updating from the 5:41 mark. Thankfully play still went on down on the court and Utah was able to finish the quarter with a slim 29-28 lead after a full-court pass from Jalen Suggs (17/3/6) leading to a buzzer-beating three from Franz Wagner (24/1/1).
The live stat tracker up and running for the second quarter, made things a little easier for the fans going forward. Talen Horton-Tucker (23/1/8) shot 4/7 (57.1%) for the quarter accounting for 10 of Utah’s 35 points. Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune even made mentioned that Horton-Tucker in the first half “looks like a helpful NBA PG.”
“This has been good THT, with mostly good shots, good passes, only one turnover. When he plays like this, he looks like a helpful NBA PG.”
Andy Larsen- Salt Lake Tribune vis Twitter @andyblarsen
With Orlando still able to press Utah to commit 10 turnovers that led to 14 points, Utah’s late 17-6 run gave them a 64-56 going into the half.
Where Dreams Come True
Though both of these teams may be looking like they’re tanking for the upcoming NBA draft, both teams struggled to do that in the third quarter. Both teams combined for 74 points while both shooting over 50 percent from the field. Markelle Fultz (35/3/6) was able to shoot at will shooting 5/5 (100%) scoring 14 points for Orlando. Lauri Markkanen (31/5/2) was not far behind with nine points for the quarter. Though Utah at one point had a 15-point lead, Orlando came cruising back to tie the score up 97-97 going into the final quarter.
Utah Jazz on Twitter: “Finnisher 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 +1 ☝️ #TakeNote https://t.co/EwjRUFfwkR” / Twitter
Continuing to have a phenomenal rookie campaign, Paolo Banchero (26/8/2) showed why Rookie of the Year is his award to lose in the fourth. Shooting 3/3 (100%) from the perimeter and accounting for 13 of Orlando’s points for the quarter, Banchero continued to have an answer for Utah. After getting the start in Utah’s previous game, Simone Fontecchio (17/2/2) must’ve received a confidence boost. Fontecchio continuously drove toward the basket without fear while shooting perfectly within the perimeter. Banchero had the opportunity to put the game in reach at the free throw line with less than a minute left in the game but was only able to go 1/2 (50%) which then led to two points on the other end for Utah. Markkanen’s bucket after Banchero’s missed free throw put the nail in the coffin as Utah ends their four-game losing streak with a 131-124 win over Orlando, who is now on a three-game losing streak.
What’s Next
Utah will head up the east coast to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.