Nets 117, Jazz 108: Three Hard Takeaways

Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 48 points while grabbing 11 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Utah Jazz, 117-106. Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 29 points in a losing effort.

Despite playing in the second game of a back-to-back and missing Kevin Durant, the Nets were the team that had more energy on Friday night. Irving reminded NBA fans that he’s still a top-10 player in the league by strong-arming the Jazz for 21 fourth-quarter points.

When it was all said and done, the seven-time All-Star knocked down eight three-pointers while shooting 62% from the field and turning in his best performance of the year.

What did we learn as the Jazz drop one game below .500 for the year? Let’s break it down.

Utah’s Offense Lacking Flow

The half-court offensive sets appeared off from start to finish for the Jazz. Utah’s leading scorer — Lauri Markkanen — finished with 22 points, but most of it was spot-up three-pointers.

The Jazz are at their best when the offense runs through Markkanen, but that wasn’t the case for most of the night. Although Markkanen and Clarkson led the Jazz in scoring, they were -21 and -20 in the +/- column, respectively.

Short Leash with NAW

Despite being Utah’s best matchup in defending Irving, Nickeil Alexander-Walker received a DNP on Friday. 'NAW' is still developing offensively, but not playing in a game where a scoring point guard is the opponent's best player is puzzling.

The way Irving was playing, it may not have made a difference, but if there was a game that Utah needed Alexander-Walker’s services, this was the one.

Bench Performs Well

If there was a positive in Friday’s loss, it was the bench keeping the Jazz close. Led by Collin Sexton’s 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, the reserves all netted a positive number in the +/- column.

Getting Kelly Olynyk back could add more firepower if he’s inserted back into the starting lineup and Malik Beasley goes back to his original role. Before Olynyk’s injury, Beasley led the NBA in shots from long distance as a reserve.

Next up, the Jazz host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm MDT.

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