What a night.
Utah continued its recent hot streak with an offensive implosion on thatu night, taking down Toronto 145-113. With the win, the Jazz have returned to .500 on the season (20-20) and are currently in 10th place in the West — the final spot in the play-in tournament..
“I thought our team really executed the entire game,” head coach Will Hardy said. “Our team was dialed in for us. Everybody feels like they’re involved in what we are doing. … I thought our team did a good job of recognizing matchups and playing off the ball.”
Here are five things (plus one) to know following the win
1.) Team Effort
In simple terms, the Jazz had arguably the best offensive game of the season during Friday’s victory over the Raptors. The 145 points scored was the most in Delta Center history in a regulation game
.
Of the 14 players who all saw the court, everyone scored at least four points. That included a corner three from rookie Taylor Hendricks and the first two buckets of fellow rookie Brice Sensabaugh’s career.
Lauri Markkanen led six players in double figures with 22 points, nine rebounds, and two assists — shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from three. Collin Sexton added 20 points and five assists, while Simone Fontecchio chipped in 13 to round out the starters
.
Jordan Clarkson continued his recent hot streak, leading the bench with 21 points (5-of-9 from three) and five assists. Walker Kessler added 12 points, while Kelly Olynyk chipped in 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Keyonte George added nine points and six assists off the bench
.
“I’m really proud of our team for sticking with it. … That’s a big physical team we played,” Hardy said. “Offensively again, 34 assists. We had five players who had five or more assists. … The ball is moving around.”
2.) Kris Dunn Hustle
While there are many players you can point out to signify as major contributors in Utah’s turnaround over the past month, Kris Dunn definitely makes the list. His insertion into the starting lineup has helped the Jazz flip things on both ends of the court due to his elite defense and calming presence on offense.
Yet, there might not be a play more emblematic of Utah’s turnaround than what Dunn did in the opening minutes against Toronto Friday night.
Following a turnover bythe Jazz, Pascal Siakim appeared to have a clean breakaway for a dunk. Dunn not only knocked the ball loose, but when RJ Barrett recovered and drove to the rim for a layup, Dunn also knocked the ball away to prevent the bucket. With the defense reset, Utah got another stop as Hardy jumped off the bench, clapping and screaming with praise.
While that play happened just over four minutes into the game, it sums up precisely what this team has accomplished over the past month. Utah continues to beat teams with hustle and heart, and that play showed it all.
3.) First Half Defense
Allowing an opponent to shoot 62% (8-of-13) from three in one-half is not a good recipe for success. Yet, that wasn’t an issue for the Jazz on Friday night.
Utah had one of its best defensive halves of the season when they held the Raptors to just 47 points. Despite allowing Toronto to knock down nearly two-thirds of their shots from deep, the Jazz protected the paint and made life difficult anytime the Raptors ventured down low.
They held Toronto to just 1-of-12 in the paint — 3-of-15 if you include shots at the rim — in the opening 24 minutes. They outscored Toronto 24-6 in the paint while having a 31-14 rebound advantage. Overall, the Jazz held the Raptors to just 21.7% (5-for-23) in shoots within the arc.
Utah’s first-half dominance on Friday is part of a bigger story as the Jazz are now a +66 in 72 first-half minutes over the past three games. Utah led by 25 against Milwaukee, 18 against Denver, and 17 against Toronto.
“The priority coming into the game was to protect the paint and the basket and make them play over us. … It was a season-low for points in the paint conceded by us,” Hardy said.
