After being run in the 2nd half Saturday night against the Minnesota TimberwolvesThe Jazz received some good news ahead of their Monday night rematch: top scorer Lauri Markkanen would play for the first time in 6 games.
At first, Markkanen’s presence seemed to help the young Jazz, as 7 players scored in the first quarter to propel the home team to a 37-25 lead, as both teams were hot on the court ( Minnesota 55%, Utah 61). %).
In the 2nd, the Jazz calmed down a little and the game tightened as Naz Reid scored 8 points to bring the Wolves closer. The Jazz led by 6 at halftime, 59-53, and held Anthony Edwards in check with 3-10 on field goals.
However, in the 3rd quarter, Edwards shook the Jazz defenders for 12 points and several high points, while Collin Sexton provided 9 points for the Jazz as the game was tied at 83 heading into the 4th.
And then the Wolves showed why they were a Top 3 player in the NBA, going on a 15-6 run and taking control of the game. The Jazz missed shot after shot, turned it over a lot and ultimately came up short as the Wolves cruised to a 114-104 victory.
Collin Sexton led the way for the Jazz with 24 points, while Lauri Markkanen had 22 points in his return.
Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George combined for 16 of the Jazz’s 17 turnovers on the night, which was hard to understand because they took care of the ball very well in the first half, but coughed it up at will afterwards half-time.
John Collins left the game after a nasty dunk by Edwards in the 3rd quarter left him with concussion-like symptoms. He collected 11 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes.
Walker Kessler played 28 minutes and recorded 14 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot to go along with his 6 points. It was good to see him get meaningful minutes for the first time since missing 4 games recently. The 14 boards were his most in almost 3 months.
The Jazz (29-39) return to the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (47-20) on Wednesday, then face the Dallas Mavericks (39-29) on Thursday before finishing with a match at the Rockets of Houston (32-35) Saturday. They remain 9th in the lottery standings after tonight’s defeat.
