3 takeaways from Utah Jazz’s shocking blowout win of Los Angeles Clippers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. It was definitely the …
3 takeaways from Utah Jazz’s shocking blowout win of Los Angeles Clippers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It was definitely the most unexpected result of the second night of the NBA season.
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The final score: Utah Jazz 129, Los Angeles Clippers 108.
Wait, what?
No, your eyes didn’t deceive you. The Jazz really did that.
They held leads of larger than 35 points for a lot of the game before putting it into cruise control late.
Maybe it’s a fluke. Maybe not.
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Here are three takeaways.
Jazz have real talent
Utah is for real. The Jazz have some dudes.
Everyone knows Lauri Markkanen, who had an efficient 20 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 3FG) with six rebounds and five assists.
Walker Kessler is well-known now, too, and he had 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks while shooting 7-for-7.
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Brice Sensabaugh will grow into a popular name for his fireworks off the bench. He had 20 points in 23 minutes.
Rookie guard Walter Clayton Jr. out of national champion Florida had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists in just 18 minutes.
Keyonte George is the starting point guard, and he had 16 points with nine assists.
Add in 13 points for the formerly promising Taylor Hendricks, who may finally be healthy enough to contribute, and this is a team that can win.
That doesn’t even include Isaiah Collier, out injured, or Ace Bailey, who had just two points in his NBA debut while playing through illness.
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Clippers are old
The Clippers may have nights like this.
They’re a team full of veterans: James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kawhi Leonard, Nicolas Batum, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez are some of the longest-tenured players in the NBA.
It’s not like Derrick Jones Jr., John Collins or Ivica Zubac are particularly young, either.
Sometimes, the Clippers will just be outrun, outhustled and outplayed.
They’ve got enough talent to win a lot of games, too. But a night like this shows some downside to the roster construction, too.
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Jazz could go on a win streak
If the Jazz play like this, they could go on a win streak.
The upcoming schedule is very friendly.
Utah goes to Sacramento on Friday to play the Kings.
From there, it’s Suns, Trail Blazers, Suns and Hornets.
A trip to Boston on Nov. 3, in game seven, is the first major test for Utah. The Jazz could take a strong record into that game.
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Source: Utah News