Utah Jazz Fall To Pistons As Kessler Injury Shakes Up Season
Nov 5, 2025, 8:10 PM | Updated: Nov 6, 2025, 9:13 am
Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz tries to get around the defense of Isaiah Stewart #28 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz fell to the Detroit Pistons 114-103, dropping to 1-3 on their current five-game road trip.
Svi Mykhailiuk scored a team-high 28 points to lead the Jazz, while Cade Cunningham’s 31 points paced the Pistons.
Related: Jazz Lose Walker Kessler For Remainder Of Season
Jazz Offense Has Lost Its Footing
After a hot start to the season, the Jazz offense has cooled significantly over the last four games.
In their first four outings, the Jazz scored 109, 104, 138, and 134 points, averaging an impressive 126.2 points per game.
But over the last four contests, that average has dropped to just 101.7 points, with Monday’s 105-point effort against the Boston Celtics marking their highest scoring total during that stretch.
“We shot 38 percent from the floor,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We were 18 for 40 in the paint. I thought we missed some bunnies.”
Over the first four games, the @utahjazz averaged 126.2 points per game.
Over their last four, they’ve averaged 101.7.
Defense certainly hasn’t been great every night, but they’ve got a big offensive problem at the moment.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 6, 2025
The offense was particularly bad in the second half against the Pistons, where a cold-shooting third quarter sealed the loss. The starting lineup shot just 1-12 in the frame, and only rookie Ace Bailey made multiple baskets.
“We just couldn’t quite make enough shots to catch a rhythm,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “The third quarter — we went particularly cold.”
These offensive struggles may not be surprising, considering the team parted ways with John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson during the offseason.
Last year, the trio combined to average 53.6 points per game—nearly half of the team’s total scoring output. In their absence, the Jazz need to find a solution.
Lauri Markkanen finished with 25 points and four rebounds, heating up late in the fourth, but he shot just 5-17 through the first three quarters.
Keyonte George added 19 points and five assists but never found his rhythm, going 6-18 from the floor.
Outside of Svi Mykhailiuk’s efficient 10-16 shooting, the rest of the roster struggled, shooting just 9-30, including a difficult 2-8 night from center Jusuf Nurkic.
The Jazz continue to rely heavily on jump shots, and with Walker Kessler sidelined for the remainder of the season, they may struggle to generate easy looks near the rim.
While shooting just 38 percent won’t be the norm every night, the team must develop a more effective shot selection to remain competitive.
What Did Will Hardy Say About Walker Kessler’s Injury?
Before Wednesday’s game, the Jazz announced that Kessler would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
It’s a major blow for both the Jazz and Kessler, who had gotten off to a strong start to open his latest campaign.
“I feel bad for Walker, obviously, first and foremost,” Hardy said. “It’s not what he expected, it’s not what we expected, but this is in the best interest for him and his health moving forward, which is our primary concern.”
Will Hardy commenting on the Walker Kessler news https://t.co/QUwW3w2WPT pic.twitter.com/ZP0ESIwNya
— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) November 5, 2025
Kessler was averaging a career-high 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 78 percent from the field, and is set to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
In the center’s absence, the Jazz started veteran Jusuf Nurkic (six points, 17 rebounds, four assists), with Kevin Love (three points, three rebounds, three assists) coming off the bench.
“We have to do what we can with who we have, and a lot of planning goes into any season, and things change,” Hardy concluded. “We’re not the only team that is dealing with injuries; we’re not the only team that will deal with injuries this year, but I think my biggest reaction is I feel Walker.”
The Jazz also have center Oscar Tshiebwe on a two-way contract, and veteran Mo Bamba in their system with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 6 p.m. MST. 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, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
