The Utah Jazz have been on a bit of a tear lately, stealing a couple wins from some of the best teams in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs lost a couple of close games to a surprisingly upstart Utah team that refuses to tank (or at least has figured out how to make it less obvious). Unfortunately (or fortunately), the Boston Celtics proved a tough nut to crack and the Jazz lost this one in the end 129-119.
It was a bit of a short-handed night for your Jazz, with Ace Bailey having
hip issues and the report that Keyonte George was dealing with an illness. Somehow though, Keyonte ended up playing and having an all-around incredible night (an opposite result of the last Keyonte sick game). He and Lauri Markkanen have become an underrated star duo and combined for 59 points with THIRTY-SEVEN of those coming from Keyonte himself. It was a strong showing from tank commander Jusuf Nurkic as well, with the big man having his best game as a Jazzman, scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
We saw some fun moments from the youth throughout this matchup. Walter Clayton Jr continues to impress, as does Isaiah Collier with his speed and unreal vision for the game. Walt had the highlight of the night with a one-handed poster in the 2nd quarter, which I will provide for your convenience right now:
Isn’t it beautiful? Walt is going to play himself into a starting gig before long, but he did struggle a tad with the fouling in this game. Jazz fans should be excited for the future of this kid as he’s one of those players with that intangible winning quality that you don’t find often. He’s a star in the making.
Boston just had a little too much ammo for us to overcome. Jaylen Brown is having a career year and continued as such tonight, ending the game with 23 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. Both he and Derrick White turned it on in the second half. At the same time, Boston saw quality minutes from a number of more obscure players (all of which have impressed for the team all year) such as Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, and Utah State alum Neemias Queta. Somehow after losing Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, AND Jayson Tatum to injury, Boston is still just as good as last year. Some teams have all the luck, don’t they?
Jazz fans should take note of this, however: this was a quality loss. It’s fun to see Utah remain competitive against top teams and continue to see the insane development of one Keyonte George. That should be a win in everyone’s book.
The Jazz next play the Los Angeles Clippers in LA on Thursday 1/1. Happy New Year all!
