Kessler, George Play Well, Jazz Drop To 0-6 With Nuggets Loss
Nov 3, 2024, 12:05 AM | Updated: 12:07 am
Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz drives to the hoop (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz opened their four-game road trip with a 129-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Walker Kessler led the Jazz with 18 points in 29 minutes.
Nikola Jokic nearly recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists.
Is Walker Kessler Back?
After back-to-back solid, but unspectacular games, Kessler posted his best stat line of the season recording 18 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks against the Nuggets.
It’s the fourth time in his career that the 23-year-old center has scored at least 15 points, grabbed at least 10 rebounds, and blocked at least five shots.
Kessler did it twice as a rookie, failed to do it in 64 appearances as a sophomore, but has now done it twice in six games this season.
Tonight is the fourth time Walker Kessler has recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in his career.
But, he’s now done it twice in the last six games.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 3, 2024
One of the major questions the Jazz need to answer this season is whether Kessler is the team’s center of the future, or better suited in the backup role he played last year.
Through six games in the starting lineup, the results have been positive.
Kessler is averaging career highs with 9.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks while shooting a personal-best 63 percent from the free-throw line.
the big fella never stops battling 🫡 pic.twitter.com/X8ZF9Vgj9V
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 3, 2024
He’s also been either the best, or the second-best player on the floor in three of the team’s six outings, and hasn’t let tough outings or match-ups derail his momentum.
Kessler is far from a proven player, but with a zero sitting in the win column, the Jazz will celebrate any positives they can, and so far this season, the center’s development has been a much-needed victory.
Keyonte George Has Best Game Of The Season
Keyonte George had been in a rough shooting slump to start the year, but may have finally found a light at the end of the tunnel in Denver.
The second-year Jazz guard was shooting 28 percent from the floor and 20 percent from three entering Saturday’s contest, but left Ball Arena having knocked down 6-14 shots overall including 4-11 from three.
Overshadowed by his poor three-point shooting numbers is George’s success on two-point shots in recent games.
Including his performance in Denver, the guard is shooting 12-22 on twos over his last four games.
Meanwhile, he’s just 8-37 from three.
another night in double figures and a season high in threes for Key 🔑
(not to mention the buzzer beater) 🚨#TakeNote presented by @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/xUcruf92Xe
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 3, 2024
That’s good for 54 percent inside the arc, a significant improvement from the 46 percent he shot as a rookie.
Despite his success on twos, 57 percent of George’s field goal attempts have been from three, an increase from the 53 percent he shot as a rookie.
With George’s shooting splits last season, it made sense to shoot more threes than twos.
This year, the math isn’t adding up.
The Jazz guard’s most recent four-game stretch is too small of a sample size to draw any long-term conclusions, but until he consistently knocks down threes like he did against the Nuggets, he’d benefit from shooting more twos.
Regardless, George’s 16-point, eight assist, two turnover night against the Nuggets was a welcome sign for the Jazz.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will travel to face the Chicago Bulls at 6:30 p.m. MST on Monday. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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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.
