Jazz 122, Raptors 116: Three Intriguing Takeaways
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler scored 23 points, while Collin Sexton chipped in 22 as the Utah Jazz outscored the Toronto Raptors by 19 points in the fourth quarter to steal the win, 122-116. Toronto's Pascal Siakem led all scorers with 35 points in a losing cause.
It’s been an eventful couple of days for a shell-shocked Jazz squad losing four players at the trade deadline, but Utah was able to put that aside and grind out the win on Friday. The Raptors were in control with a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half, but the Jazz went on a 12-0 run with 4:53 left in the final period to tie the game and never looked back from there.
What did we learn in Utah’s come-from-behind win? Let’s break it down.
Expect the Unexpected When the Jazz Play
This is the fourth straight time in which the underdog team prevailed in games that Utah has participated in. The Jazz were favored at home against Minnesota, Dallas, and Atlanta but couldn’t get the win.
Then the Jazz go out and prove Las Vegas wrong again by beating the Raptors as a seven-point underdog. On Saturday, the New York Knicks are a six-point favorite versus Utah which may bode well for the Jazz to win their second game in a row.
Utah’s Bench Steps Up
Players that got an uptick in minutes due to the trade on Wednesday held their own. All four players that saw time on the court were in the positive in the +/- column, led by Rudy Gay and Talen Hortin-Tucker.
What appeared to be a weakness going into the contest was a major factor in Utah’s victory. If the Jazz are going to stay competitive for the remainder of the season, the bench will have to keep this up.
All Eyes on Russell Westbrook
If the Jazz have any shot of staying competitive for a playoff spot, they’ll need Westbrook the rest of the way. Starting the former MVP would be a big boost to Utah's perimeter defense while also helping its bench, with Sexton playing a role that he’s more suited for in the sixth man.
Wouldn’t that be something if Utah played the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in game with Westbrook in a Jazz uniform. Hopefully, we will know soon where the Westbrook domino falls.
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