Jazz C Walker Kessler Reacts to Bounce Back Victory vs. Lakers

The Utah Jazz took care of business in Wednesday's rematch.

Feb 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles past Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

After a rough showing on Monday night vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, the Utah Jazz got back on track during Wednesday's rematch in the Delta Center as they avoided their season series sweep against LA in a win, 131-119, reaching their 13th victory of the year.

It was a much better outing than their nationally televised bout on Monday where the Jazz were down double-digits for most of the contest. This time around, Utah was more polished on both ends of the ball, won the turnover battle, and got the edge on their home floor.

After the game, Jazz center Walker Kessler spoke about the victory.

"Everyone came out ready to play," Kessler said. "Lauri had an incredible game. Keyonte had an incredible game. John had a good game. I mean, shoot, we had six guys in double figures. That's crazy. Great moving the ball, playing good defense, playing physical. It was a lot of fun."

Kessler had a strong night himself. He was among those six finishing in double figures with his 16 points, eight rebounds, and an insane total of six blocks.

But outside of Kessler, it was a much better defensive outing for the Jazz as a team. Utah collected eight total blocks and 10 steals to help get the advantage on that end, limiting both LeBron James and Luka Doncic to under 20 points.

"We were getting out, running in transition, attacking the rim, shooting well, playing good defense, getting stops," Kessler said on the Jazz's defensive success. "I think our team at our strongest, is when we're getting out in transition. We have a lot of young guys that can run really well, so continuing to work on that will be good for us."

The Jazz will take on the second leg of a back-to-back following their win vs. the Lakers on Thursday night, as they'll look to face off against the Los Angeles Clippers on their home floor at 7 PM MT.

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