Jazz Vets Stay Undefeated In Summer League

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz veterans that returned to play in the summer league have yet to suffer a loss after downing the Phoenix Suns 63-57.

The Jazz won their first game in Las Vegas after going 3-0 in the Salt Lake City Summer League as one of the two rosters the franchise hosted in front of their home crowd.

Heading into Vegas, the Jazz combined the best pieces from their two rosters in Salt Lake City and continued to find success on the hardwood.

📹| Trent: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Jarrell: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block
Paul: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Udoka: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks pic.twitter.com/T4QDdcoWHO

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 10, 2021

Trent Forrest continued to impress scoring 10 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and handing out seven assists in nearly 26 minutes.

Jarrell Brantley matched Forrest’s scoring production while snaring six rebounds and handing out three assists.

Second-year center Udoka Azubuike brought his bully-ball style of player to Sin City scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds to go along with two blocks and two steals in his Vegas debut.

While the Jazz had the benefit of three games in Salt Lake before traveling to the desert, the Suns looked rusty in their second game in as many nights. After falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 73-72 on Sunday, Phoenix shot just 19-79 from the floor for 24 percent and 4-19 from three for 21 percent.

The Jazz did allow the Suns to grab 20 offensive rebounds leading to multiple second-chance opportunities, however, Phoenix’s cold shooting didn’t allow them to capitalize.

Though Azubuike was tied for a game-high +14 plus-minus, coach Bryan Bailey said he’d like to see the former first-round pick show more aggression trying to keep the opponents off the glass.

“It’s in him, it’s just got to be on other aspects of the game, not just dunking the ball,” Bailey said of Azubuike’s tenacity on the offensive end. “It’s got to encompass rebounding, it’s got to encompass playing defense, pick and roll defense, and it’s got to encompass sprinting back and transition.”

Back at it Wednesday #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/z0TOgcOD3C

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 10, 2021

The Jazz will now take their perfect record into a meeting with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Mavericks were blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers 95-73 in their summer league opener early Monday.

Injury note: Jazz second-year wing Elijah Hughes missed Monday’s game after entering concussion protocol for a head injury suffered in game three of the Salt Lake City Summer League on Friday.