In an outcome that no one expected, the Utah Jazz destroyed the Los Angeles Clippers 129-108. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Jazz, who came out with an offensive output that crushed the Clippers’
will to make a comeback.
To start, Will Hardy put out a surprise starting lineup that didn’t include Ace Bailey, who is dealing with illness.
The lineup obviously worked but it was powered by Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler. Goerge was fantastic running the point going 6/12 from the field for 16 points while dishing out 9 assists. George looked very comfortable initiating the offense and it bodes well for the rest of the season that he can be a player that can take the reins of this offense for now and in the future. George also played solid defense and created multiple turnovers with 2 steals.
Lauri Markkanen looked like his all-star self again. He had 20 points on 8/13 shooting with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The assist numbers are a great sign that Markkanen can at least move the ball within the offense to the right players. He may not ever be a primary playmaker, but he can certainly move the ball to the open man when needed. The other important thing is that his shooting appears to be back. It was an issue all last season, so it’s nice to see him shooting it well again (4/7 from three).
Finally, Walker Kessler was excellent again tonight. As the current #1 3-pt shooter in the NBA (2/2 from tree), Kessler is showing he may be worth the investment. His line tonight was nearly perfect: 7/7 from the field, 2/2 from three, 6/8 from the free throw line, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. It’s an incredible performance from Kessler to start the season, and we’ll see if he can keep it up as the season goes on.
The other storyline people were watching for was the premiere of Ace Bailey. Bailey didn’t get the start, according to the Jazz, because he’s recovering from the flu and was on a minute restriction. It was pretty clear he was winded quickly once he was on the floor.
Despite the illness, Bailey still managed to put up an awesome first basket as a Jazzman.
On top of the illness, we know that Bailey had some tendonitis in his knees in preseason so a little bit of rest couldn’t hurt.
What’s clear with this Jazz team is they are pretty deep. Taylor Hendricks ended with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and a block. Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. And Brice Sensabaugh scored 20 points on 7/13 shooting and 3/7 from three. Speaking of Sensabaugh, he looks like he’s locking himself into that 6th man role for a long time. His scoring is phenomenal, but his decision-making needs to improve. The offense stagnates at times with Sensabaugh, and his improvement will come when he moves the ball more effectively within the offense.
Having said that, the Jazz played extremely well in their first game. We’ll find out as the season goes on if it was the Jazz playing well or if the Clippers are just terrible.
