Clutch Jazz Overcome Feisty Pistons In Overtime
Jan 3, 2024, 11:23 PM | Updated: Jan 4, 2024, 10:03 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz held off a hot shooting Detroit Pistons roster to earn a 154-148 victory at home.
Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen combined for 67 points including two big threes late in regulation while former Jazzmen Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks added 63 to lead the Pistons.
With the win the Jazz moved to 9-3 in their last 12 games.
Jazz Beat Pistons In Record-Setting Night
The Jazz and Pistons combined for 302 points, marking a new record high for a game involving the Jazz.
Previously, the Jazz had combined with the Denver Nuggets for 299 points in a win on February 10, 1982.
The Pistons’ 148 points are tied for the most the Jazz have allowed in a win in franchise history, moving the team to 3-18 all-time when allowing 140 points or more.
Detroit entered the night as the NBA’s third-worst three-point shooting team at just 34 percent per game, but connected on 19-41 attempts (46 percent), their most makes in a game since December 6, 2022.
Tonight’s combined 302 points is the most in any game the @utahjazz have ever been involved in.
Their previous high was 299 in a win over the Denver Nuggets in 1982. #takenote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 4, 2024
Bogdanovic shot 8-15 from downtown, his most made threes in a game this season, tying his most ever in a Pistons uniform.
“For the majority of the game, our communication was very poor defensively,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “That led to breakdowns in coverages, as well as not locating shooters. Bojan’s a heck of a player, he got off 15 threes tonight.”
The Jazz survived the Pistons’ hot shooting at the free-throw line where they knocked down 32-35 attempts.
Clarkson, Markkanen, and Collin Sexton combined to shoot a staggering 27-29 from the line to help the Jazz edge Detroit.
Jazz Failed To Foul Up Three, Again
After Markkanen connected on a clutch three-pointer with four seconds left in regulation, the Jazz had the opportunity to foul the Pistons, send them to the free-throw line, making for a more difficult pathway to tie the game on the final possession of the game.
Instead, Burks drove the length of the floor and hit a buzzer-beating three to send the game to overtime.
Hardy said he wanted his team to foul up three, but the players on the court failed to do so.
“We would have liked to have fouled when Alec Burks ran the ball up the court right around mid-court when he and Collin made contact with each other,” Hardy said.
“That doesn’t mean that Alec didn’t make an amazing shot — that was a really hard shot, but we shouldn’t even let him get that shot off.”
🚨 LAURI MARKKANEN FOR THE LEAD, BUT ALEC BURKS TIES IT AT THE BUZZER 🚨@DetroitPistons 138@utahjazz 138
WHAT A GAME IN UTAH. WE’RE GOING TO OT.
📲 https://t.co/MZEetu6mK4 pic.twitter.com/k7OgYWYY6e
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2024
Dating back to last season the Jazz have struggled to execute late-game fouls in similar situations.
On November 18, 2022, the Jazz allowed Phoenix guard Damion Lee to attempt what would be a game-tying three after the Suns took possession of the ball with nine seconds left.
Lee missed a three before Devin Booker put back a meaningless layup and the Jazz won 134-133.
On December 15, 2022, the Jazz allowed New Orleans to attempt two game-tying threes in the final 12 seconds of regulation. CJ McCollum missed his attempt with 11 seconds left to play, but Trey Murphy III tied the game with two seconds left sending it to overtime.
In that same game, the Jazz again allowed McCollum to take what would be a game-tying three with nine seconds left, which he missed, as the Jazz survived 132-129.
Once again, on January 13, 2023, the Jazz had a three-point lead over Orlando with 11 seconds left to play. Magic wing Franz Wagner attempted a three with five seconds left, though it was blocked, ultimately leading to a Jazz 112-108 win in regulation.
“When the emotion is super high and the building is going crazy, it’s easy to lose focus on the strategy part,” Hardy said of his team’s inability to foul late in the game.
Nightly Awards: Jazz vs. Pistons
The “Don Calhoun” Award:
Goes to the young Jazz fan who hit three three-pointers during the Ken Garff “Threes for Keys” contest and won a car during the Jazz and Pistons game.
It has to be one of, if not the biggest win by a fan ever during a Jazz in-arena contest.
what’s better than sinking some shots in front of the home crowd?
how about 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐂𝐀𝐑 for it, courtesy of @kengarff!
(in the slides too 👀) pic.twitter.com/3s9jYcPduQ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 4, 2024
Famously, Chicago Bulls fan Don Calhoun sunk a three-quarter-court shot in 1993 to win $1 million.
The insurance company responsible for the $1 million award tried to get out of the payment due to Calhoun’s previous history as a college basketball player which was against contest rules.
After a string of bad press, including a reportedly unhappy Michael Jordan, Calhoun was paid.
Utah Jazz’s Next Broadcast
The Jazz will face the Celtics on Friday at 5 pm MST in Boston. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
