The Utah Jazz win a close one against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a final score of 122-127. This marks the first time the Jazz have won without Lauri Markkanen this season.
After a stretch of uncompetitive games, the Jazz played Minnesota wire-to-wire, led by Keyonte George’s career night. George finished with 43 points and three assists. George, now a top-20 scorer in the NBA, continues to emerge as star in the NBA. While he likely won’t earn an All-Star spot this season, his ability to become
a late-game offensive engine is a serious boost to the Jazz’s chances of becoming a competitive team once again. In his first two seasons, George’s inability to create space off the dribble limited his effectiveness as an isolation scorer. But his stunning development this offseason has made his this one of his greatest strengths.
The Jazz were also helped by Jusuf Nurkic’s big night. Facing off against former Jazzman Rudy Gobert, Nurkic put up his second-career triple-double, ending the night with 16 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. On the defensive end, Nurkic has obviously lost a step. But on offense, he continues to be one of the more versatile bigs in the NBA. The Jazz are measurably more in control when Nurkic is controlling the offense through a series of back-door passes, high-screens, and DHO’s. The stats show it too – he averages a league leading 4.6 screen assists per game. Regardless of his future with the team, Nurkic has provided a valuable veteran presence for the roster.
Utah’s youth also stepped up, with big nights coming from Isaiah Collier and Ace Bailey. Collier played one of the more complete games of his career, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. Bailey, who continues to look better with every game, ended the night with 20 points and four rebounds, including this ferocious dunk:
While pro-tank fans will be disappointed with Utah picking up another win, the Jazz have created some separation between them and the Dallas Mavericks in the standings, making this win fairly inconsequential from a draft perspective. Utah hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
