Jazz Center Walker Kessler Dunks On, Blocks Shots By T-Wolves
Nov 30, 2023, 6:52 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Jazz center Walker Kessler followed up a slam dunk by rejecting a shot attempt by the home team during Utah’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Walker Kessler with a dunk & block on Wolves
The Timberwolves hosted the Jazz at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday, November 30.
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With 10:51 to play until halftime, Jazz guard Collin Sexton floated a pass to Kessler, who rose up for a jam to give the Jazz a 27-23 lead.
17 seconds later, Kessler showed up on the defensive end as well. The Auburn product swatted a driving shot attempt by Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns to maintain Utah’s four-point lead.
👯 Dunker Kessler turns Blocker Kessler 👯 pic.twitter.com/duGNDgSV02
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 1, 2023
This season, Kessler is averaging 9.1 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting. He also averages 8.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 0.2 steals per game.
Utah’s game against Minnesota is broadcast on KJZZ, Jazz+, KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM), sports.ksl.com, and the KSL Sports app.
LISTEN LIVE: The @utahjazz end their road trip against the @Timberwolves on the @kslsports app, @KSLSportsZone, and:https://t.co/zvHoXB6NQZ pic.twitter.com/oAz2X4gGWQ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 1, 2023
RELATED STORIES
Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Jazz will see a pair of familiar faces in Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley when they take on the Timberwolves on Thursday night.
The Jazz enter the contest with one of the league’s worst road records at 1-8.
The Timberwolves meanwhile are 8-1 at home and own the top record in the Western Conference at 13-4.
Jazz Looking For Improved Effort On The Road
The Jazz travel to Minnesota coming off two of their worst road losses of the season.
Last week the Jazz fell to the 5-12 Trail Blazers in Portland and trailed by as many as 32 points in the loss.
On Wednesday, the team gift-wrapped an easy 105-91 victory to the 4-13 Memphis Grizzlies, marking their first home win of the season.
“We’ve got to face the fact that on the road, our intensity, our physicality, and our how connected we are has really got to take a big step forward,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said after the loss.
The Jazz will once again be without All-Star Lauri Markkanen who has missed the last three games with a hamstring strain.
Jordan Clarkson is out with a thigh contusion while Kris Dunn is out for a personal reason.
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) is available.
Gobert, Conley Find New Homes With Timberwolves
A season after leaving the Jazz, both Gobert and Conley have found their stride in Minnesota.
Though Gobert’s averages are down nearly across the board from last season, his impact on the defensive has returned to his Jazz-era dominance.
Minnesota owns the NBA’s best defense with Gobert as the early frontrunner to earn his fourth Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Conley has seen a dip in his scoring average but a significant increase in his efficiency. The former Jazz guard is shooting 44 percent from three in 17 appearances this season.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Threads (@kyleirelandksl), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl). and X (@kyleireland).
