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NBA Hoosiers (Aug. 21): Juwan Morgan Helps Upset-Minded Utah Jazz Take 2-1 Series Lead

Juwan Morgan came off the bench Friday night for the Jazz after starting the first two games, and he was a defensive presences once again in their blowout win.
Tom Brew|

Good things keep happening for the Utah Jazz when former Indiana star Juwan Morgan is on the floor, and because of it, they are the one team threatening to upset the bracket in the NBA playoffs.

The No. 6-seed Jazz blew out the No. 3-seed Denver Nuggets on Friday, winning 124-87 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round best-of-seven series. With guard Michael Conley, the former Indianapolis native, back with the team after leaving to be home for the birth of his son, Morgan came off the bench on Friday. Morgan played 22 minutes and only had one point, but he had four rebounds, three assists and a steal, and had an another impressive plus-23 plus-minus rating.

How good have the Jazz been?

“They’re playing at a different level than us,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said postgame. “These are two games in a row where we’ve gotten our ass kicked. We give in too easy. We have to be more mentally tough.”

The Jazz are the first lower-seeded team to get to two wins. (We aren't counting the Miami Heat in the 4-5 series in the East, because that's a wash). With Conley back — he had 27 points on 7-for-8 shooting from three-point range — it looks like the Jazz hold the upper hand in this series. Keeping this run going for Morgan and the Jazz will be fun to watch.

Former Hoosier Noah Vonleh saw his first action in the series for Denver. He played the final three minutes, but did not score.

  • Friday's others results

    • Toronto Raptors 117, Brooklyn Nets 92:  The defending champion Raptors are marching toward the second round with another defiant blowout win. Former Hoosier OG Anunoby started and played 33 minutes, scoring 8 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. He was a plus-23 for the game. The Raptors can wrap up the series on Sunday.
    • Boston Celtics 102, Philadephia 76ers 94: The Celtics are up 3-0 now too, after another impressive win over the 76ers. Former Hoosier Romeo Langford played  11 minutes off the bench and scored 2 points on 1-for-3 shooting. Celtics guard Kemba Walker led the way with 24 points.
    • Los Angeles Clippers 130, Dallas Mavericks 122: vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 9 p.m. The Clippers pulled ahead 2-1 in the series thanks to a huge effort from Kawhi Leonard, who scored 36 points. 

    Saturday's games

    • Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic, 1 p.m. ET (TV: TNT):  Milwaukee evened its series at 1-1 with an impressive performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday. He had had 28 points and 20 rebounds, and now the No. 1 seed looks to take control of the series on Saturday.
    • Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: TNT):  The Pacers are in trouble, because they're having a hard time controlling the Heat shooters. Former Hoosier Victor Oladipo played well in Game 2, scoring 22 points, which was a good sign after he missed almost all of Game 1 after getting poked in the eye. Down 2-0 in the series, this is basically a must-win situation for Indiana.
    • Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 6 p.m.  ET(TV: ESPN): Houston is up 2-0 in this series, and former Hoosier Eric Gordon has been a big reason why. He's stepped up with All-Star Russell Westbrook out with a quad injury. He's averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game so far in the series.
    • Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC): The Lakers bounced back from an opening-game upset, and look to gain control of this series. The big concern for Portland is leading scorer Damien Lillard, who dislocated a finger on Thursday night. It will be interesting to see if it affects his shooting going forward. 

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    Published
    Tom Brew
    TOM BREW

    Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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