The Utah Jazz played its second of a five-game home stand on Sunday and lost 132-123 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Here are three takeaways from the game.
Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves burn Utah
The first quarter of Sunday’s game with the Lakers was perhaps the best quarter the Jazz have played so far.
Utah dominated the offensive boards, Ace Bailey was phenomenal with 15 points and seven rebounds and Lauri Markkanen scored 12 points as the Jazz took a 47-29 lead. Even Keyonte George had a career-high seven assists in one quarter.
Luka Dončić was the only thing keeping Los Angeles alive with 17 of the Lakers’ 29 points.
Then came the second quarter. The Jazz got lazy, Austin Reaves got to the line, and Dončić continued to have a superstar performance.
That ended up majorly hurting the Jazz, as Dončić hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to put the Jazz away. He finished with 52 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Reaves was also dominant, with 29 points on just 12 shots. Reaves and Dončić consistently got to the line and combined for 21-24 at the charity stripe.
The Jazz also got sloppy with the ball and gave up 17 turnovers.
“I also think that some of the shots weren’t tough enough,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said of the Laker duo’s performance. “We’re trying to up our level individually on the defensive side, and if guys make really hard ones over us, and Luka makes plenty of them, that’s life in the NBA against the best players.
“But I think there are things that we can control. Two guys shooting 24 free throws, that’s us not being disciplined. You could look at just that, and if we cut that number in half, the outcome of this game is different.”
Coming-out party for Ace Bailey continues
Bailey’s improvement from year one to year two has been the brightest spot so far for the Utah Jazz. While his scoring hasn’t been particularly dominant, he’s carved out a role as a jack-of-all-trades type guy.
He’s been so productive that Will Hardy elected to move Jaxson Hayes to the bench, slide Jaren Jackson Jr. over to center and bring Bailey into the starting lineup in the home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Bailey got the start again against the Lakers, and he dominated. He had 15 first-quarter points, most of which came from offensive rebounds.
His length and mobility give him a defensive edge. The 20-year-old Bailey spent most of his time attempting to slow down the red-hot Dončić.
While there is a lot to work on, Hardy is happy Bailey is learning these defensive lessons early on in his career.
“I think he did a good job of staying down, being a second jumper,” Hardy said. “He’s getting such good experience in those moments. To come in and have him guard Dončić for a majority of the night, that’s experience that you can’t replicate in practice. That’s going to serve us well moving forward.”
More Josh Green minutes incoming?
Josh Green came to Utah this summer in a trade that sent John Konchar and Cody Williams to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, through the opening two games, Green didn’t see much time on the floor.
Hardy gave Green a chance in crucial fourth-quarter minutes. There were still nine minutes left in the game and Utah trailed 109-106.
Green only played for just over three minutes, but his impact made it feel much longer. During those minutes, the Lakers turned the ball over four times and scored only one field goal.
“Sometimes you need to put somebody in to try to give the group life,” Hardy said. “I thought Josh Green did a great job of that. He’s been a pro throughout camp and the preseason. He has not gotten the opportunity that he probably wants to this point, but he stays ready and always gives maximum effort.
“(He played) three and a half minutes; it felt like more than that, but that’s a representation of who Josh is.”
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