Jazz 119, Hornets 111: Three Encouraging Takeaways

Talen Horton-Tucker flirted with a triple-double on his way to a season-high 37 points as the Utah Jazz cruised to a victory over the Charlotte Hornets, 119-111. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 24 points in a losing cause.

It was the 'THT' show from start to finish on Saturday night. The Hornets had no answer for Horton-Tucker’s physicality and ability to create shots in the paint.

Utah needed it, with All-Star Lauri Markkanen having arguably his worst game in a Jazz uniform. Markkanen finished the game with 13 points on 3-for-22 shooting while knocking down just one three-pointer.

But the Jazz were able to overcome their leading scorer's shooting woes thanks to Horton-Tucker having his way with the smaller Hornets guards.

What did we learn in Utah’s second straight road win? Let’s take a look.

Horton-Tucker is Turning Heads

Over the last three-game stretch, THT is averaging 27 points while dishing 7.3 assists per game. It’s been a nice run and a lot of credit has to go to Coach Will Hardy. Utah’s first-year head coach dished his thoughts in his post-game interview.

“Very clearly, the story of the game is Talen Horton-Tucker,” Hardy said. “I am incredibly hard on Talen. I have been all season. He knows that is because I believe in him; in his talent and his ability. He’s still young, he just turned 22, and he has some real physical gifts that were on display tonight.”

Is this lightning in a bottle, or has Utah found its permanent solution at the point guard position? The Jazz brain trust will have the rest of the season to figure that out, but it does raise a question heading into the offseason.

Will the emergence of Horton-Tucker lead to opting out of his contract this summer? Let’s see how it plays out, but a big payday could be around the corner if THT can stay the course.

The Gobert Trade Keeps Getting Better

Let’s not forget that Horton-Tucker was acquired as a result of the Gobert trade. Patrick Beverley was a piece of the blockbuster exchange with the Minnesota Timberwolves, only to be flipped to the Los Angeles Lakers for Horton-Tucker. Based on where it stands today, this has the potential to go down as one of the greatest fleeces of all time.

Jazz got:

Walker Kessler
Horton-Tucker
2023 Timberwolves' first-round pick unprotected
2025 Timberwolves' first-round pick unprotected
2026 Timberwolves' first-round pick swap
2027 Timberwolves' first-round pick unprotected
2029 Timberwolves' first-round pick protected
2027 Lakers' first-round pick protected

Jazz Back in the Play-In Conversation

With the win, the Jazz are now out of the lottery and back in the play-in tournament. Utah still has work to do, but a playoff berth isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

However, the upcoming schedule won’t be doing the Jazz any favors. Utah’s next six out of seven games will be against teams with a winning record, which includes the two top Eastern Conference teams — the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

Next up is another road game against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on Monday. Tip-off time is 5:30 pm MDT.

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