Jazz Beat Warriors in Wild Finish: 3 Winners, 1 Loser
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The Utah Jazz shocked the Golden State Warriors, 124-123, on a Simone Fontecchio dunk with 1.4 seconds left that completed what may be the biggest turn of events the NBA has seen this season.
The game was back and forth all night, and it appeared the Jazz were in control in the fourth quarter when they expanded their lead to 11 points on a Rudy Gay three-pointer, 106-95. But the NBA is a game of runs, and the Warriors outscored the Jazz 26-13 to take a 121-119 lead with just 35.9 seconds left in the contest.
From that point, things got a little crazy. In a span of 36 seconds, there was a flagrant foul, Jordan Clarkson was ejected, along with offsetting technical fouls, two turnovers, and the Jazz scored the final five points of the game in a span of 6.4 seconds to escape with a one-point win.
As usual, there were winners and losers in what may end up being the most memorable game of the season. Let’s break it down.
Winner: Walker Kessler
The rookie out of Auburn continues to turn heads. Kessler recorded the second double-double of his career, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action.
Most impressively, Kessler swatted five shots in the first start of his young career. Head coach Will Hardy has some tough decisions on whether to go with Kessler or Jarred Vanderbilt in the starting lineup. Either way, the 7-foot big man should be getting more minutes on the court moving forward.
Loser: Talen Horton-Tucker
TNT wasn’t able to see the court on Wednesday, even with forward Lauri Markkanen missing the game (illness). Whether this is permanent remains to be seen, but with Nickeil Alexander-Walker earning Hardy’s trust, it could prove to be difficult for Horton-Tucker to get consistent minutes.
Winner: Simone Fontecchio
The rookie from Italy scored a career-high 18 points, including the game-winner with 1.4 seconds left. Fontecchio’s playing time has been uneven this year, but Wednesday night’s performance will be one to remember.
Fontecchio talked about the final moments in his post-game interview.
“Amazing, I don’t know what to say," Fontecchio said. “The guys were amazing. We played an unbelievable defense on the last couple of possessions. The guys were able to steal the ball and Malik passed it to me. That’s my guy right there.”
Winner: Jazz Depth
Utah’s depth was tested, with its leading scorer (Markannen) popping up on the injury report a couple of hours prior to the game. Also, point guard Mike Conley was a late scratch even after logging a full practice on Monday.
Despite the two starters not playing, the Jazz were able to pick up the slack by having seven players score in double figures, led by Clarkson with 22 points. Hardy shared his thoughts on Utah’s resilience this year.
“I continue to be amazed by my team's resilience and their ability to let it rip," Hardy said. “They continue to adapt and they do it together. We aren’t perfect but we have heart and I thought that was reflected by the end of the game.”
Next up is a home game on Friday versus ex-Jazzman Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm MDT.
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