It’s the surprise of the evening! While hell was promised to the Jazz after their extensive reconstruction, Will Hardy’s players won with style against Denver. A success (123-102) which does not suffer from any possible challenge since Mike Conley’s teammates got their hands on the entry match.
After a round of observation with a slew of stray balls, the Jazz find automatisms with Jordan Clarkson in the corner and the entry of Malik Beasley who takes his place as joker. The Vanderbilt-Markkanen pair imposes under the panels, and the balloons emerged are transformed into 3-pointers. After twelve minutes, Utah is ahead: 37-30. And the rest will be worse for the Nuggets since they will collect a terrible 14-0! Inevitably, Utah stands out, and at the break, Collin Sexton’s partners lead by 22 points (75-53). Denver’s defense is catastrophic, and more so the overall aggressiveness. Under the boards, Jarred Vanderbilt is taking all the rebounds, and that’s not a good sign.
Returning from the locker room, Nikola Jokic takes matters into his own hands. It does not defend better, but at least there is envy. Like Michael Porter Jr who tears himself away from trailing balloons, and who converts them. As at the start of the match, the Jazz lose ball after ball, and the Nuggets nibble their delay. From -14 at the end of the 3rd quarter, they even come back to -7 (105-98) five minutes from the end.
But as in the first quarter, the substitutes make the difference, and it is Rudy Gay, very good, who strikes from 3-pointers. Then Beasley, on a step-back, imitates him, and the room explodes (111-98). It’s Collin Sexton who takes care of finishing the job with his baskets full of mischief and his throws, and the Jazz wins a very good victory in front of an audience already in heaven.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The contribution of the bench. Huge contrast between the two formations, and Will Hardy can count on a high quality bench from which emerge Beasley, Sexton or Gay. They are the ones who make the difference between the first two quarters and at the end of the match. The Jazz substitutes have 68 points, against… 24 in Denver!
– Transparent Nuggets. Already in preseason, Mike Malone had sounded the alarm, and tonight, his players did not want to defend. They walk, do not help each other, and it is rather worrying. On the other side of the field, it is not better, and we will remember the 21 lost balls, including 7 in the last quarter.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Lauri Markkanen. If Collin Sexton made the difference in the home stretch, it was Markkanen who allowed the Jazz to get into the game well. The Finn did not water too much, and he mainly tried to circulate the ball. He behaved as a leader, as he does in selection.
✅ Walker Kessler. A double-double for the Jazz rookie who just plays. Faced with the lack of aggressiveness of the Nuggets, we saw him dominate the offensive rebound, and come out with clean balls.
✅ Nikola Jokic. With Aaron Gordon early in the game, the double MVP is the only one to float. At least in attack. It was he who sounded the revolt in the second half, and under his leadership, Denver won the battle of the racket (68 points to 42). Quite annoyed at the end of the match, in particular by the arabesques of Collin Sexton.
⛔️ The Denver bench. We say it, we repeat it, the bench was catastrophic… There is a lack of a 6th man in this formation, and even an attacking leader. A real contrast with the Jazz which can count on very good jokers.
⛔️ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. A game to forget for the Nuggets rookie. Clumsy and uninspired in defense, he is the symbol of this heavy defeat.
THE FOLLOWING
– Jazz: reunion with Rudy Gobert Friday in Minneapolis
– nuggets : trip to the Warriors. Be careful not to turn the other cheek
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