by Alma Bean
Feature Image by Spenser Heaps of Deseret News
The Utah Jazz (1-3) as they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies (0-4) as they start their short two-game homestand.
Relocated to a Permanent Home
First quarter became a fire sale on buckets for Utah. Shooting an astounding 15/20 (75%) from the field while shooting 8/10 (80%) from the perimeter. Lauri Markkanen (19/11/1) seemed to make it his mission to score from beyond the arc shooting 3/3 (100%) to start the game. Collin Sexton (23/3/6) almost matched his production from the perimeter but fell just one shy shooting 2/3 (66.7%). Memphis became dependent on Jaren Jackson Jr. (19/8/2) to try and keep them within striking distance. If it wasn’t for Jackson Jr. shooting 4/4 (100%) from the free throw line, this quarter would’ve been more out of hand. Utah bulldozed through Memphis 42-19 in the first quarter.
Second quarter was no different as Utah continued to keep their foot on the gas. Not only did Utah shoot 12/19 (63.2%) from the field, but they held Memphis to 7/23 (30.4%) for the quarter. Once again, free throws were Memphis’ saving grace as they went 8/10 (80%) from the line. Jordan Clarkson (20/6/5) took after Markkanen and decided he wanted to add to the shoot barrage as he went 3/3 (100%) from the perimeter living up to his “Flamethrower” nickname. Desmond Bane (21 points and 3 rebounds) became a glimmer of hope as Memphis trailed as much as 35 points in the quarter, but Utah scoring the second most points in a half in franchise history is difficult to beat. Utah went into the half with a little pep in their step as they led 79-46.
Home Sweet Home
After being ridiculed in the first half, Memphis came out of the locker room with something to prove. Holding Utah to 10/28 (35.7%) from the field and 4/13 (30.8%) from the perimeter, those percentages are a breath of fresh air from Memphis. Turnovers had been growing throughout the game in Memphis’ favor as they had Utah exceed their season average (12) by the third quarter. Memphis also was able to hold Walker Kessler (4 points and 4 rebounds) to a -3 plus/minus rating by the end of the third quarter after having season-highs on Monday against Denver. With Memphis being able to find their shot at halftime, they outscored Utah 33-25 in the quarter as they trailed 104-79 going into the fourth.
With such a large lead going into the fourth quarter, the general consensus would have been Utah resting their starters. Head coach Will Hardy wanted to keep his foot on the gas and had all of his starters play to some capacity till halfway through the quarter. Kenneth Lofton Jr. (12/5/2) who has had a solid performance off the bench to this point, gave Utah fans something to cheer about. Lofton Jr. had seven free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and missed five of them, giving the fans in attendance free Chick-Fil-A. Utah having 12 players check-in throughout this game and having all 12 players score is a winning formula that resulted in a 133-109 win.
What’s Next?
No rest for Utah as they take on the Orlando Magic (2-2) on Thursday night for their final game of Utah’s two-game homestand.
The Hive Sports 
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