Oct 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (right) holds the ball away from the reach of Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (left) during the first quarter at Delta …
The Utah Jazz opened their 2025-26 campaign off with a stunning 129-108 blowout against the Los Angeles Clippers in front of their home Delta Center crowd in a game that was really controlled from start to finish of the contest.
The Jazz rattled off a 43-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, were clicking efficiently on both ends of the floor, and gave fans some nice initial hope and optimism for what could be in store for the season ahead, starting the year with a nice 1-0 record in the books.
Here’s a few of the key takeaways from the Jazz’s opening night victory over the Clippers:
Compared to last year’s edition of the Jazz and their defensive lapses across the season, this team came out looking like a totally different team on that end of the floor in their first showing of the year.
The Clippers were held to just over 30% shooting from deep, remained active on the ball and in the passing lanes to have 15 total turnovers on the night, all of which remained key in dominating this game in the way that they did.
Considering the Jazz’s youth on the roster, that defensive consistency might not stay as stout from start to finish of this season. Still, this could be an early sign that they might not turn out as the league’s worst-ranked defense for three straight years.
The biggest standout of the night for the Jazz might be none other than Walker Kessler, who, in the first game of his contract year, make his presence felt in a major way.
Kessler led the way for the Jazz with 22 points on perfect 7/7 shooting from the field, 2/2 from three, had a team-best nine rebounds and four blocks, and even tapped into his playmaking ability that flashed in the preseason with four assists on the night.
If Kessler can keep up that tenacity on both ends of the floor throughout the season, he’ll be in for a bigger payday than initially expected next summer.
He didn’t have the most optimal 2024-25 campaign , but in game one of his fourth season with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen showcased just why this front office gave him his lucrative five-year extension just last summer.
In 33 minutes, Markkanen was one of three Jazz players to score 20-plus points with 20 of his own on 60% shooting from the field, paired with six rebounds and five assists in the process–– creating a ton of opportunities offensively with his ability to cut and move off the ball that the Clippers didn’t really have an answer for.
Following up from an awesome EuroBasket tournament sample size this offseason, Markkanen might have a bit of that hot hand lingering into the start of the new NBA season.
Keyonte George proved in one night of his third season pro that he’s been busy across the offseason–– as he pieced together a notably productive night against the Clippers as Utah’s opening night starting point guard.
George cashed in 16 points on 50% shooting from the field, put together an eye-catching nine assists to show big strides as a playmaker, was active on the defensive end with two steals of his own, and proved more than worthy of being the Jazz’s starting point guard to open the new year.
While it’s early, the beginning of a year-three breakout could be starting to emerge as a real possibility. His 1/7 shooting from deep still leaves room for improvement moving forward, but it’s hard to walk away from this one not feeling good about the Jazz’s third-year guard.
Due to a pre-game illness, fifth-overall pick Ace Bailey wasn’t really able to get really get situated in his NBA debut. He was held to just 19 minutes off the bench, Bailey finished the game with just two points on 1/5 shooting from the field, pairing that with four rebounds and two assists as well.
He did make sure to leave with a big-time fastbreak slam for his first-ever NBA points in the first half, though, getting him on the board for those two points of the game.
ACE. BAILEY.
What a first bucket for the #5 pick ✈️ pic.twitter.com/5edyboztX8
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2025
Bailey’s sure to get a ton more opportunities his way in the near future, and could see an uptick in those as soon as next game vs. the Sacramento Kings for their first road game of the season– yet the flu seemingly stopped fans from getting the full experience from their top five pick of this summer.
Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
Source: Utah News