Did Utah Win? 35th edition: Jazz Motor Past Pistons
Welcome to the Lazy Utahn’s recap of the most recent Utah Jazz game. Do you want to talk to your friends about the game, impress them with cool stats, and act like you watch all 82 games like a true die hard even if you didn’t catch the big game last night? We got you covered in this simplistic breakdown of each topic that may arise from the latest Utah Jazz showdown
Did Utah win?
Listen, Detroit is the worst team in the association, did you think there was a chance Utah wouldn’t win?
Because if you thought that was the case you were almost right multiple times.
Former Jazzmen, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, scared the absolute hell out of Jazz nation as the three-win Pistons pushed Utah to the absolute brink before succumbing in overtime, 154-148.
There was no defense whatsoever and Utah played from behind most the night yet the Jazz didn’t allow themselves to get burned while playing in the inferno.
Utah has now won three straight and currently sits at 16-19 on the season. With 9 wins in their last 12 games. Don’t look now but Utah is only one game outside of bursting into the play-in picture.
Sounds a little close for comfort, but well worth the watch huh?
Absolutely. Jazz fans likely got queasy multiple times as the night wore on as Detroit led all the way up until the halfway point of the third quarter. Once Utah took their first lead, Detroit refused to go away as both teams traded buckets from then on.
Utah had to scrap and fight for every opportunity to even win this game as the Pistons led by 8 at one point in the 4th.
As the game whittled down to the final seconds, the Jazz and Pistons were tied at 132 apiece.
Jordan Clarkson stepped into a three with 32 seconds to go that would put Utah up by three.
Old friend, Bojan Bogdanovic did what Jazz fans had become accustomed too as he responded with a deep ball of his own to tie it back up.
With 15 seconds on the clock, Coach Hardy called for time and set up Markkanen to pop off a half screen fake out for a top of the arc three ball.
With 4.4 seconds to go Markkanen cashed in and Jazz fans began to celebrate
It was much too soon, as Alec Burks lived up to his “Houdini” nickname by drilling an off-balance triple as time expired to guarantee an extra quarter of hoops.
I can tell you about it, but its best you watch it unfold:
Overtime would lack the theatrics that fans witnessed in the 4th as Utah would take the lead in the first 14 seconds with a Walker Kessler dunk and never relinquish it again.
In Utah’s 16-10 Overtime advantage, Jordan Clarkson would cap another brilliant performance with a big time three ball to put Utah comfortably in the driver seat, 149-142 with 1:44 to go.
Some free throws later and Utah could finally lift the “Jazz win” sign.
So, Burks and Bogey balled out, but it sounds like the current Jazz players balled harder?
Right you are.
Always fun to spoil a “revenge” game for former fan favorites, even better when your current stable of stars outperform those former fan favorites.
It was a tough night to outperform the underdog because both Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic had made it a personal goal to make the Jazz miserable.
Burks had 27 points and 5 triples to his name while Bogdanovic rattled off 36 points, 7 rebounds and hit 8 deep balls.
Detroit also had young star, Cade Cunningham, contribute 31 points and dish out a game high 12 assists.
The Pistons entire starting lineup scored in double digits on top of those performances (Duren: 17 points, Ivey: 11 points, Livers: 10 points)
You can and should fault Utah’s defensive efforts here, but the Pistons played one of their best games of the season.
So rather than be disappointed that Utah nearly dropped the ball against a 3-win team at home, I’m going to be excited that they won a game in which Detroit did just about everything right, while also being slightly jarred that we almost lost to Detroit.
The Pistons outshot, outrebounded, and mostly outhustled Utah and the Jazz came away with the win by staying calm, turning it over less and getting to the free throw line as their talent won out.
Speaking of talent, Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen, lets hear about it.
As trade rumors swirl, with Jordan Clarkson at the center, it wouldn’t surprise many if his play began to slump.
That’s been the exact opposite. After posting the first triple double since 2008 for the Jazz, Clarkson turned around and dropped 36 points off Utah’s bench.
We know JC can score, but to do so as effectively as he did was a thing of beauty. Clarkson shot at a 55 percent rate while going 4/5 from deep with 6 boards and 3 assist.
Bring in the clutch shot making demonstrated in overtime and at the tail end of the 4th and Jazz fans may have a hard time parting ways with the last remaining piece of a former #1 seeded team in Salt Lake.
Clarkson did his best work when the game tightened up by putting up 21 of his 36 points in the 4th and overtime. Utah would have easily dropped this game if it wasn’t for Clarkson taking full responsibility for making the offense tick.
Like Clarkson matched Bogdanovic's point total, Lauri Markkanen did the same to Cade Cunningham.
Markkanen netted 31 of his own on three less shots (10/18) and went 50 percent from downtown on 8 tries. Markkanen also demonstrated the clutch gene by hitting the three at the end of the 4th proving that Utah has at least two go to options in crunch time.
We would be at a fault if we just focused on these two as Collin Sexton has looked like a genuine franchise building block the last couple of weeks.
Sexton scored 25 points on 50 percent shooting, had 5 assists and did not turn the ball over once. Even Clarkson in his heroic effort had 5 turnovers.
Sexton looks like a different player displaying poise and maturity that seemed to be missing even just a month ago.
Outside of scoring and distribution the Jazz desperately need someone who can get to the charity stripe, and Sexton is that guy. 10 free throws attempted; 10 free throws knocked down.
The Jazz are 20th in the NBA in free throws attempted and Sexton can help greatly boost those numbers with this type of continued pursuit.
As of now the Jazz don’t have a player attempting more than 5 free throws a game. Markkanen averages 4.9, Sexton 4.5 and Clarkson 3.9.
With Clarkson and Sexton combining for 21 free throws on the night, that’s a step in the right direction.
Oh yes, and Sexton just simply refusing to not play hard did wonders last night.
John Collins chipped in 17 points and Kris Dunn scored 4 on six shots with 3 steals and 4 assists to round out the starting lineup.
Dunn would only play for 15 minutes as Clarkson and Keyonte George filled a majority of the guard minutes.
George would struggle with his shot, trying 9 times and hitting on two.
It would be Walker Kessler who was the 2nd best off the Jazz bench with an 8 point, 8 rebound, 6 block night being a team high +15.
Kelly Olynyk (9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Ochai Agbaji (3 points, 2 assists, 2 steals) were the only other jazz players to log minutes in the win.
After an insane game like that, I need to see the highlight:
The whole game was a highlight really, well worth perusing through one more time, I have already included the clutch shots so I have no choice but to let you see Jalen Duren try to take a grown man piggy back ride on Walker Kessler’s shoulders.
What’s the stat?
Detroit’s 148 points is their highest point total in a loss for the Pistons franchise history.
Utah’s 154 points ties the most points the Jazz have ever scored in their franchise history
The only other time the Jazz scored 154 points was in April of 2021 when drubbing the Kings 154-105.
Ironically enough Bojan Bogdanovic was involved in this game as well leading all scorers with 24 points to pace the Jazz, while Jordan Clarkson knocked down 23.
Will the winning continue?
As much as I wish it would, the Jazz are kicking off their toughest stretch of the season by starting a three-game road trip in Boston.
They then fly to Philadelphia the next night and finish in Milwaukee before returning home to host Denver.
If Utah plans on being competitive for real, a win or two on the road of the Eastern Conference’s 1, 2 and 3 seed would go a long way in stabilizing that.
Oh yeah, Boston is 16-0 at home this year.
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