by Alma Bean
Featured Image by Rick Bowmer of the Associated Press
Clap for the Jazzman
This year being the 50th anniversary for the Utah Jazz franchise, the organization started off strong before tip-off. Nostalgia galore as highlights over the past 50 years on the jumbotron, revealing the classic jerseys with the court to match. Fans are clearly ready for Jazz basketball to return.
Though fans were ready, it looked as if Utah had some rust to get off before kicking things into gear. The Sacramento Kings started the game with a 7-0 run before Talen Horton-Tucker (8/4/1) was able to knock down a perimeter shot. Shots did not come easy for Utah in the first quarter as they shot 7/20 (35%) from the field and just 2/7 (28.6%) from the perimeter. Sacramento on the other hand fired at will shooting 5/14 (35.7%) from beyond the arc and 12/25 (48%) from the field. Harrison Barnes (33/4/2) is the main reason for Sacramento’s dominance shooting 5/5 (100%) from the field including being 2/2 (100%) from the perimeter. Sacramento’s fire power was hard for Utah to contain but the end of the first quarter gave Utah a break as they trailed 32-24.
For the second quarter, Utah had a better showing as they went 9/16 (56.3%) within the perimeter, but unfortunately was still spoiled by Sacramento’s inability to miss a shot. Sacramento shot an astounding 15/28 (53.6%) from the field and 8/14 (57.1%) from the perimeter. With Utah struggling to find answers for Sacramento, John Collins (15/11/2) took it upon himself to try and make this game competitive. Finishing the half 11 points led Utah but still left them facing an uphill battle as they trailed 72-58 at the half.
The Delta Center is the Joint
Coming into the second half, Jordan Clarkson (24/4/6) not only found ways to score but also found ways to find the open man. Multiple cuts to the paint nearly uncontested and fluid ball movement showed promise for Utah to get back into the game. As soon as Clarkson got hot, he was subbed to the bench and Sacramento took back the comfortable lead. Comfortable enough for JaVale McGee (8/1/1) to be able to make 10-foot running hook shots as if they were uncontested layup.
The nail in the coffin for the third quarter came shortly before the end of the quarter. Kris Dunn (8/1/2) brought the ball up court and lost focus on his dribble off his foot. The turnover landed in De’Aaron Fox’s (18/5/6) hands sprinting down the court where Dunn was following close behind. Fox did a no-look behind the back pass to Malik Monk (10/2/7) where Monk put Dunn on his first poster of the season. Tensions got pretty high leading to a push from Dunn, who shortly after got a steal and dunk on Monk but not as emphatic as Monk’s dunk. Now with the crowd uneasy, Utah trailed 103-87 going into the final quarter.
With the final quarter at hand, Utah managed to not only outshoot Sacramento, but outscore them as well. Though Utah was able to eventually find an answer, the fourth quarter is a little too late. Sacramento shooting a collective 19/51 (37.3%) from the perimeter while Utah shot 9/28 (32.1%), the volume alone sunk Utah’s hope for the season opener. It’s great to be able to get all three of Utah’s rookies minutes in the first game of the season, but it hurts a little more when it’s waving the white flag at home. Utah fell to Sacramento 130-114 in a defensive lacking game.
Takeaways
- Utah needs to find a way to keep Walker Kessler (8 points and 8 rebounds) on the court longer than 22 minutes. As a starting center, this is very confusing.
- For his first real minutes in the NBA, Keyonte George (8/2/2) looked like he truly fits in Utah. Even as the 10th man in the rotation, George’s basketball IQ and scoring ability was able to peak through.
- The THT/Collin Sexton combination isn’t working. Sexton looks like he’s trying too hard to prove his worth while THT is trying to show off rather than sticking to fundamentals.
- The four guard, one center lineup was fun in the preseason, but it’s not effective when games start to count.
- Clarkson looks like a changed man this season. He’s looking for the open man rather than putting up any shot whether he’s contested or not. If this is what we can expect from him this season, Utah might have a decent point guard.
What’s Next?
Utah will try and look past this loss as they try to get their first win of the season taking on the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
The Hive Sports 
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