by Alma Bean
Feature Image by Jeffrey D Allred of Deseret News
The Utah Jazz (9-17) takes on the Brooklyn Nets (13-12) in their quick pit stop in Salt Lake City.
The Greatest Ball on Earth
Right out the gate, Walker Kessler (14 points and 14 rebounds) made his presence known in his return to the starting lineup. On Brooklyn’s first offensive possession, Cameron Johnson (7/5/1) tried to put Kessler on a poster but instead had the ball pinned up against the backboard for Kessler’s first block of the game. Brooklyn continued to try their luck in the paint but finished the quarter 4/12 (33.3%) within five feet of the basket. Even with Brooklyn shooting 4/8 (50%) from the perimeter, they struggled to run away with the lead as they finished the quarter tied 28-28.
Second quarter started off with a scare for Utah. Lauri Markkanen (20/10/4) while going up for a contest in the paint, he took a knee in his left hip and it looked to bother him. Though Markkanen may have been wincing in pain, this did not take Markkanen off the court. Royce O’Neale (6/1/1), who had played five seasons for Utah before being trade to Brooklyn, showed why he was valued in Utah in the first half. Shooting 2/4 (50%) from the perimeter being the definition of a three-and-d player. Much like the first quarter, Utah continued to struggle from the perimeter shooting 1/8 (12.5%) while playing near perfect inside the paint shooting 7/11 (63.6%). It proved that Utah’s inability to make perimeter shots had them trailing at the half, 59-54.
Jazz Gon’ Run This Town
In the second half, Utah began to find their groove and defend their home turf. Forcing Brooklyn to take more shots out on the perimeter and forcing misses as they shot 3/13 (23.1%) for the quarter. Utah looked to flip their attack as 15 of the 23 shot attempts for the quarter came within the perimeter as their attempts from the perimeter had been going down each quarter. Cam Thomas (32/4/3), who was 5/12 (41.7%) going into the half, did all he could to secure Brooklyn’s lead accounting for 12 of the team’s points in the quarter. Even with Thomas shooting 4/6 (66.7%) from the field and 2/3 (66.7%) from the perimeter, Brooklyn’s lead began to fade as they trailed at the end of the quarter, 88-82.
To wrap up this game, Talen Horton-Tucker (27/3/6) and Collin Sexton (27/3/6) decided to put the nail in the coffin. The two shot 6/12 (50%) from the field with Horton-Tucker shooting 2/3 (66.7%) from the perimeter. Horton-Tucker and Sexton looked fully focused and in sync to get Utah back to their winning ways. Spencer Dinwiddie (17/8/11) tried to give Thomas some help in the backcourt shooting 2/3 (66.7%) from the field, but Utah’s late shooting efficiency proved to be too much for Brooklyn. In arguable Utah’s best all-around performance this season, they come away with the 125-108 win over Brooklyn.
What’s Next
Utah will start their five-game road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
The Hive Sports 
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