by Alma Bean
Feature Image by Alex Goodlett of Getty Images
The Utah Jazz (15-19) takes on the struggling Detroit Pistons (3-30) to wrap up a three-game homestand.
Start. Your. Engines.
In the first quarter, Detroit started with attacking the small ball starting lineup in the paint. Shoot 11/21 (52.4%) within the perimeter, Detroit exploited Walker Kessler (8/8/1) sitting on the bench. Once Kessler came into the game, he changed Detroit’s approach as he earned four blocks in the quarter. With nearly every shot coming from an assist for Detroit, Jaden Ivey (11/1/2) was able to get his shots in stride shooting 3/3 (100%) from the field. With Utah struggling to find shots shooting 9/19 (47.4%), Detroit was able to take an early 33-25 lead to end the quarter.
The second quarter is where the shootout began. Detroit shot an impressive 14/21 (66.7%) from the field and 5/9 (55.6%) from the perimeter while Utah shot 16/31 (51.6%) from the field and 5/11 (45.5%) from the perimeter. Detroit found success with precise ball movement as in the first 17 minutes of the game, 14 of the 19 made shots came from assists. As the Delta Center was being entertained by the shooting barrage, we were treated to a “Shaqtin’ A Fool” moment. Kessler looking to protect the paint against Jalen Duren (17/10/3), was unsuccessful as Kessler was on the bad side of a poster but the final result wasn’t what you would think. As Duren let go of the rim, he landed on Kessler’s shoulders and didn’t fall off until the free throw line. Tension rose pretty quickly due to this play but was clearly accident from both parties. As both teams calmed down and they were able to recognize that 75 points were scored between them, Detroit finished the half with a narrow 68-66 lead.
Roll on the Throttle
Though Utah came into this one as the clear favorite, Utah didn’t receive their first lead of the game till 12 seconds into the third quarter. Lauri Markkanen (31 points and 7 rebounds), who was 5/8 (62.5%) from the field and 2/3 (66.7%) from the perimeter to this point, fired the three quickly to give Utah a 69-68 lead. Emotions began to run high once again but this time coming from the guard position. Ivey playing some great aggressive defense on Kris Dunn (4/1/4) halfway through the third quarter trying to force a jump ball. Ivey ended up on his back on the floor which led to all players being within inches of each other as if a fight were about to break out. Dunn was given a technical foul for the shove that came during the play but neither player looked to have held that grudge going forward.
Shortly after the small scuffle, Simone Fontecchio (16/7/4) became the glue that Utah needed. In 40 seconds Fontecchio was able to do the following in order:
- Offensive Rebound
- And-One Layup
- Made Free Throw
- Made Three Point Shot
- Steal
- Full Court Assist to Keyonte George (5/2/2)
Though Fontecchio’s name may not jump out to too many NBA fans, but he has started off 2024 as a legitimate NBA starter rather than just a body on the court. If anything, Fontecchio was providing a clinic on defense which neither team was too keen on in this matchup. Even with Fontecchio’s efforts on both ends of the court, Utah managed to finish the quarter with a 109-104 deficit going into the final quarter.
Going into the final quarter, both teams struggled to gain ground on each other as Utah was shooting 50.6 percent from the field and Detroit shot 61.1 percent from the field. That trend continued for guys like Bojan Bogdanovic (36/7/5) and Alec Burks (27/4/1). The two of them accounted for 23 of Detroit’s 29 points on 8/18 (44.4%) shooting from the field. These began to trade buckets with Jordan Clarkson (36/6/3), who is coming off his first career triple double, shooting 5/6 (83.3%) from the field and 2/2 (100%) from the perimeter in the quarter. With all the heroics in place to give either team an emphatic win, after back-to-back possessions with made perimeter shots, Burks managed to hit a three-point shot as time expired to tie the game up 138-138 to send this game into overtime.
OVERTIME!!!
Though overtime is seen as an extra exciting period, in this game it was all about free throws. With a combined 15 free throw attempts and 15 field goal attempts, there were more made free throws than field goals in the five-minute period. Utah managed to find their way to the line with the help of Collin Sexton (25/2/5) who 4/4 (100%) from the line in overtime to create some separation. There was no looking back for Utah as they hit their nine free throws in the period to win the game, tying the franchise record for most points scored in a game, 154-148.
What’s Next
Utah will start a three-game road trip starting against the Boston Celtics on Friday.
The Hive Sports 
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