Nets Outwork Jazz In Blowout Loss
Jan 29, 2024, 8:33 PM
Mikal Bridges #1 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against Simone Fontecchio #16 of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz were no match for the Brooklyn Nets in their 147-114 blowout loss on Monday.
The Nets led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the final 36 minutes of the game.
Keyonte George scored 21 points to lead the Jazz while the Nets were led by Miles Bridges’ 33-point outing.
Nets Outclass Jazz From Start To Finish
For the third time in their last eight road games, the Jazz were thoroughly dominated from the opening time to the final buzzer.
Much like their 29-point losses to the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans in recent weeks, the Jazz’s lack of competitiveness had a familiar feeling.
“Offensively they’re switching bothered us, we did not make good reads,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We got caught up at times trying to draw fouls when the play was to pass. I mean, we really just got outworked tonight and that’s what led to the lopsided game.”
Credit to the Nets’ defense as the Jazz have been completely unable to get penetration off the dribble.
Every Jazz attack is getting pushed wide into help which has led to a ton of deflections and turnovers.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 30, 2024
Brookyln shot 21-45 from the three-point line and held the Jazz to 9-27 while forcing 17 turnovers resulting in 27 points.
Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Simone Fontecchio all struggled in Brooklyn combining for just 24 points in over 70 minutes of play.
Sexton had arguably his worst game of the season shooting 1-10 from the floor in 23 minutes.
Fontecchio was just 2-9 from the floor while Markkanen shot 4-12.
The latest blowout loss on the road is a reminder that despite the Jazz’s climb back to .500, they’re still far too prone to no-show performances, especially when playing away from Salt Lake City.
After Tuesday’s game in New York, the Jazz will close the season with 20 of their 33 games at home.
But, if they want to qualify for the playoffs, they’ll likely have to win at least one play-in tournament game on the road, and Monday’s loss was another reminder of how far they have to go before they can feel confident in that type of contest.
“We are not as good as people have been saying we are the last month and we are not as bad as people were saying we were the first month,” Hardy acknowledged.
“We’re a hard-working, tough team. We play 10 people and our approach is to try to wear you down over 48 minutes and at some point, break the game open.”
Against the Nets, the Jazz never broke the game open as they were humbled once again.
Jazz Face Quick Turn Around Against Knicks
After snapping their two-game winning streak the Jazz turn their attention to the red-hot Knicks.
New York has won six straight games after a 113-92 blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
The Knicks are 13-2 since inserting OG Anunoby into the lineup on January 1 with their two losses coming by a combined eight points.
New York will be without Julius Randle who suffered a dislocated shoulder late in their 16-point win over the Miami Heat on Saturday.
Got the dub in Charlotte 💪
Brunson 32 PTS | 7 AST | 4 REB
Donte 28 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST
Deuce 11 PTS | 1 STL
Hartenstein 10 PTS | 3 STL
Precious 9 PTS | 5 REB
Josh 8 PTS | 12 REB | 7 AST pic.twitter.com/izWV3ZA0Nn— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 30, 2024
The forward is expected to miss several weeks with the injury.
Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 60 points in the win.
If there was one upside to the Jazz’s poor performance it allowed the starters to rest the majority of the fourth quarter.
“Due to the schedule, at a certain point, I had to make a decision that we needed to not put certain people back in the game and move on to tomorrow,” Hardy acknowledged.
The Jazz will face the Knicks before returning to Utah where they will play six of their next seven games at home leading into the All-Star break.
Nightly Awards:
The “Blowout Slumpbuster” Award:
Goes to Keyonte George who snapped out of his recent down stretch by scoring 21 points 6-11 shooting including 3-7 from the three-point line and 6-7 from the free-throw line.
Though George’s performance did little to impact their loss in Brooklyn the Jazz do need the rookie to regain his composure over the final 34 games of the season.
.@keyonte1george was a bright spot in 27 minutes off of the bench.
📰: https://t.co/WhsQNyjNFF#TakeNote
📷: Deseret News pic.twitter.com/OM0cxC6S6P— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 30, 2024
Teams fighting for a playoff spot rarely have the luxury of allotting minutes to a rookie regardless of their impact on the game, but the Jazz have stayed steadfast in keeping George in the rotation.
As he showed early in the season his effort, energy, and playmaking can be a benefit, even with below-average shooting percentages.
If he can regain those attributes to close the year, he can be a positive for the Jazz, and Monday was a step in the right direction.
Utah Jazz’s Next Broadcast
The Jazz will face the Knicks on Tuesday at 5:30 pm MST in New York City. 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.
