Kelly Olynyk Makes Hustle Play, Rewarded With Dunk Against Knicks
Nov 15, 2022, 8:18 PM
Utah Jazz center Kelly Olynyk (41) shoots during an NBA game (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz big man Kelly Olynyk made a hustle play by saving the ball from going out of bounds and was rewarded with a dunk against the Knicks.
Kelly Olynyk tried stealing the ball when he had to run toward the scorer’s table to save the ball. Jordan Clarkson caught the ball at halfcourt and threw the ball ahead to Olynyk for the dunk.
That gave the Jazz a 58-55 lead over the Knicks with 35 seconds left in the second quarter. Obi Toppin and Jalen Brunson knocked down three-pointers in the final 28 seconds to give the Knicks a 61-58 lead at the half.
Olynyk finished the first half with a team-high 15 points, along with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Kelly saves 😮 pic.twitter.com/tNgXml3nRa
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 16, 2022
The Jazz suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season falling on consecutive days over the weekend to the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers.
New York meanwhile travels to Utah having lost six of their last nine games.
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The Jazz had two of their worst performances of the young season over the weekend dropping winnable games against the Wizards and 76ers.
Lauri Markkanen was largely unimpactful in the two outings despite averaging 16.0 points nad 7.5 rebounds. The Finnish forward had been putting up career numbers prior to the weekend’s double-header, but the Jazz were outscored by 28 points in Markkanen’s 66 minutes on the floor.
Several key Jazz players have struggled to shoot the ball during the mini-losing streak. Mike Conley connected on just 2-15 field goal attempts in the losses including 1-9 from the three-point line.
Rookie Walker Kessler has made just 2-7 from the floor in his last two outings, while Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker went a combined 18-50 for 36 percent.
After opening the season 10-3, the Jazz will need to find their stroke when they host the Knicks to get back to their winning ways.
The team will be without veteran Rudy Gay against the Knicks due to a left-hand sprain.
Prior to facing the Jazz, the Knicks reportedly held a players-only meeting in Utah in an effort to reverse their recent struggles.
The Knicks opened the season 3-1 before dropping six of their last nine.
The Jazz and Knicks is televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. The game will also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
