UTAH JAZZ CENTRAL
All updates and perspectives courtesy of Michael Sorensen
Game Recap (Nuggets vs. Jazz 5/7/21) - With Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell out tonight, Bojan Bogdanovic said "I'll have myself a night" as he dropped a career high 48 points as the Jazz sneak by the Denver Nuggets, 127-120. Bogey was 16-23 from the field and finished 8-11 from beyond the arc. Nothing was stopping the sharpshooter from Croatia as everything the Nuggets threw at him was utterly useless. Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and 8 assists off the bench to complement Bogdanovic. It was a back and forth game the whole way and definitely gave me some playoff vibes of these two teams going at it in the bubble. With Jamal Murray out with a torn ACL the rest of the season for the Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. was the one to show up for Denver as he led the team with 31 points. Jokic, who has all but locked up MVP honors, was his usual self, dropping 24 points, dishing out 13 assists, and snagging 9 rebounds. Austin Rivers somehow keeps finding ways to make life difficult for the Jazz as he added 18 points of his own. This was a very nice win for the Jazz that will definitely give Utah some momentum as we close out the regular season. With this game being the toughest the rest of the way, the Jazz should be in a great position to lock up the #1 seed in the Western Conference as the #2 place Suns have a pretty rough schedule the rest of the way. Utah looks to build off this win with a game tomorrow night in Salt Lake City against the struggling Houston Rockets. Tipoff is set for 8:00 MST.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Timberwolves 4/26/21) - The Jazz couldn't hold on to an 18 point lead as they fall once again to the Timberwolves in back-to-back games with Minnesota, 105-104. Mike Conley, who finished with 26 points to lead Utah, hit a step back 3 pointer to put the Jazz up 104-103 with 6 seconds left. A great inbound play by the Timberwolves left D'Angelo Russell wide freakin open for a layup and proved to be the dagger. Utah could not knock down a 3 to save their life, as they went 16-57 from beyond the arc. Utah started off with a strong 1st quarter, but a poor 2nd and 3rd quarter came back to haunt them. Conley and Rudy seemed to be the only things going for the Jazz as no one else stepped up. It is very evident that the Jazz miss the services of Donovan Mitchell, as he has been out this past week and will be out this next week with an ankle sprain. As long as Utah finishes the season with the 1 or 2 seed, the Jazz will have the home court advantage they desperately need in the playoffs. Utah will look to bounce back Wednesday against the Kings in Sacramento. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. MST.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Lakers 4/19/21) - The Jazz were able to avenge their loss to the Lakers last Saturday night with a 111-97 win tonight against the same LA squad tonight on ESPN. Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 22 points off the bench and Joe Ingles added five 3 pointers and 21 points. Mitchell, Favors, Ilyasova, and Conley were all out tonight along with Lebron and Anthony Davis, which allowed for Talen Horton-Tucker to drop a career high 24 points on the Jazz. All of the Jazz starters spread the wealth as all 5 scored in double figures. Utah continues their historic 3 point shooting this season, shooting 15-33 from beyond the arc. The Jazz held the Lakers to 42 points, which is their 2nd lowest first half points of the season. The Jazz look to carry their momentum in Houston against the Rockets on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m. MST.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Lakers 4/17/21) - The Lakers proved to be too much for a depleted Jazz squad as they win in overtime at the Staples Center, 127-115. Jordan Clarkson hit a 3 with 9 seconds left in the 4th quarter to give Utah a 110-108 lead. Dennis Schroder answered with a layup of his own to tie the game up with 3 seconds left and send the game to OT. It was all LA in overtime, as Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Andre Drummond combined for 77 points. With Conley, Mitchell, Gobert, and Favors out for the Jazz, we got to see some players deep in the rotation get more minutes than usual. Irsan Ilyasova was about the only thing the Jazz had on offense in the 1st quarter, hitting five 3 pointers. It was a back and forth game until the Lakers had a dominate 3rd quarter, at one point having a 14 point lead over the Jazz. Turnovers killed the Jazz in the 3rd quarter, coughing the ball up 8 times. With the help of Jordan Clarkson, who led Utah with 27 points, the Jazz made a furious comeback in the 4th quarter, only allowing 16 points. In the end, the Lakers came out with the W as the Jazz move to 42-15 on the season. The Jazz will look to get revenge against this same Lakers squad Monday night in LA at 8:00 MST on ESPN.
*Donovan Mitchell injury update* - Donovan will be evaluated again in a week as (thankfully) there was no structural damage in his ankle.
*Donovan Mitchell injury update* - Donovan will be evaluated again in a week as (thankfully) there was no structural damage in his ankle.
Game Recap (Pacers vs. Jazz 4/16/21) - Well, we got good news and bad news. The good news: The Jazz overcame a slow start to beat the Indiana Pacers, 119-111. The bad news: Donovan Mitchell went down with a right ankle sprain in the 3rd quarter and is likely to miss some time. The Jazz had to rely on their defense after Mitchell went down to make a comeback. Mitchell finished with 22 points on 7-15 shooting before a got injured. Caris LeVert and Domantis Sabonis combined for 46 for the Pacers. Gobert struggled defensively in the 1st half, but showed up in the 2nd half. He finished with 13 points and 23 rebounds. Mitchell could hardly put any weight on his ankle and was helped off gingerly by teammates to the locker room. Here's for a speedy recovery cause Lord knows we're going to need him in the home stretch, especially the playoffs. The Jazz have another matinee game tomorrow against the Lakers on ESPN. Tipoff is set for 2:30 MST.
BREAKING NEWS (4/16/21) - Former NBA All-Star and MVP Dwayne Wade has purchased an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz, per Adrian Wojnarowski. It is unclear what % of the Jazz he will own and what his specific role will be with the Utah, but Wade plans to take an "active part" in the Jazz organization and franchise. More updates to come.
Game Recap (Thunder vs. Jazz 4/13/21) - Yes, Lu Dort just dropped a career-high 42 points on the Jazz. Yes, Moses Brown grabbed 15 rebounds. Thankfully, it didn't matter as the Jazz were able to overcome a slow start against the OKC Thunder, 106-96. With Royce O'Neale, Joe Ingles, and Jordan Clarkson all out with injuries, the Jazz needed someone to step up to alleviate the loss of three key rotational players. Bojan Bogdanovic and Donovan Mitchell answered the call, dropping 23 and 22 points respectively. Coming off a season-high 33 points against the Wizards, Bogey went a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. Georges Niang also had himself a nice game in his first start of the season for the Jazz as he knocked down six 3-pointers. Gobert was in DPOY form, putting up 13 points, 14 rebounds, and adding 7 blocks on the defensive end, helping hold the Thunder to just 38% shooting from the field. Dort and the Thunder looked unstoppable in the 1st quarter, but the Jazz took over the 2nd and 3rd quarters to get their 25th win at home. The Jazz look to close out this four game home stand with a W when the face the Indiana Pacers in a matinee game this Friday at 1:00 p.m. MST on NBATV.
Game Recap (Wizards vs. Jazz 4/12/21) - Well, so much for the 24 home game winning streak :(. The 4th quarter comeback fell just short as the Jazz fall to the Washington Wizards 125-121 for their first home loss since New Years Eve. Donovan Mitchell has been on a tear the past 4 games putting up 41, 37, 42, and adding 42 tonight for Utah. Maybe it's time we put his name the MVP discussion? Washington outscored the Jazz 37-23 in the 2nd quarter and held a solid lead the rest of the game until the Jazz came back and made it interesting late in the 4th quarter. The dynamic backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal did their thing as Westbrook posted his 23rd triple-double of the season as Beal added 34 points on 14-31 shooting from the field. With Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson out with injuries, the Jazz had to go a little deeper in their bench than they would have wanted. The Wizard's bench held their own with 59 points while the Jazz could only muster 14 points from the bench. It's good to see Bojan back to his usual ways as he dropped 33 points and was lethal from 3, going 6-10. The Jazz look to bounce back at home tomorrow night as the OKC Thunder are in town. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. MST.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Trailblazers 4/8/2021) - With the two best 3 point shooting teams in the NBA going head-t0-head tonight, one would expect to see a bunch of 3s going in. Well, not so much. Both teams shot below 29% from beyond the arc and struggled to get into their usual offensive rhythms. Luckily for the Jazz, they happen to have a player named Donovan Mitchell, who just 24 hours prior dropped 41 in a loss to the Suns and dropped a cool 37 points tonight on 14-25 shooting from the field in a 122-103 win against the Portland Trailblazers. Rudy Gobert was his usual self as well, dominating the boards with 21 rebounds and contributing 18 points as well as being a defensive beast in the paint. Quin Snyder must have said something after the Jazz were manhandled in the rebound game against the Suns because they came out and out-rebounded Portland, 58-41. The Trailblazers were led by their dynamic duo in the backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who dropped 23 and 19 respectively. It was a tight game until the Jazz blew open the doors in the 2nd half, winning the 3rd quarter 40-19. The Jazz continue to add to their home winning streak, as they are up to 23 consecutive wins at home, with their last home loss coming back in December. The Jazz will stay in Salt Lake City to go up against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MST.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Suns 4/7/2021) - In a nationally televised game on ESPN, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker showed out tonight and proved why they are 2 of the best young players in the NBA. The game was back and forth the whole way with Mitchell and Booker seemingly trading buckets the whole game. The Suns ultimately came out on top in overtime, 117-113. The MVP of the game, however, was Chris Paul, who showed why he is getting paid the big bucks. Paul was a true team player, finishing with 29 points and 9 assists. His patented mid-range shot was unstoppable and the Jazz had no answer. Booker was spotty tonight, going 0-6 from beyond the arc, but he finished with 35 points. Mitchell channeled his bubble playoff performance, putting up 41 points, and carried a Jazz team that continues to struggle from 3, going 11-44 (25%). The Suns also dominated the boards tonight, finishing with 61, compared to the 45 from the Jazz. The Jazz have now lost the last 2 games in a row and are only a 1.5 game ahead of the Suns in the Western Conference. The Jazz will look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Portland Trailblazers at 8:00 p.m. in Salt Lake City.
Game Recap (Jazz vs. Mavericks 4/5/2021) - The Jazz couldn't find their usual shooting stroke as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 111-103. The Jazz struggled from 3 as they were only 12-44 (27%) from beyond the arc. Mike Conley was the only bright spot offensively for the Jazz as he put up a team high 28 points and dished out 7 assists. Luka Doncic worked his magic and Utah's defense as he put up 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists along with 23 points from Dorian Finney-Smith. It was just one of those nights where nothing was falling. The final score is not indicative of the game, as the Mavs were firing on all cylinders. The Mavs put an end to the Jazz's 9 game winning streak, but Utah remains the best team in the NBA with a record of 38-12. The Jazz will stay on the road and face a hot Phoenix Suns team Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. MST.