Jazz Blown Out by Warriors, 127-86: 3 Eye Opening Takeaways

The Utah Jazz drop their first two games of the season at home.

Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) posts up on Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Buddy Hield led all scorers with 27 points on seven three-pointers, while Stephen Curry contributed 20 as the Golden State Warriors thumped the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, 127-86. John Collins led the Jazz with 14 points in a losing cause.

The Jazz started fast out of the gate but didn’t last long. The Warriors ended up outscoring the Jazz every quarter, including a 33-16 beatdown in the fourth period to finish the game. It wasn’t a competitive game from start to finish, and you could feel the disappointment from the home crowd throughout.

Let’s look at some key takeaways as the Jazz continue to search for their first win of the season.

Jazz Struggling From Long Distance

Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) looks to pass over Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Shooting woes put the Jazz behind the eight-ball in the first half. Utah connected on only 15 of 48 shots, including 4-for-18 shots from long distance. Led by Markkanen’s 2-for-11 from the field, it wasn’t pretty for the home team. 

The second half wasn’t much better, as the Warriors put the game away early in the third quarter. Shooting from long distance continued to be an issue. The Jazz ended up knocking down just nine out of 42 three-point shots for 21.4%

Would third-year Jazzman Johnny Juzang be able to give Utah a lift when he comes back? Juzang has missed the first two contests and could provide the Jazz with some much needed spacing in their half-court sets when he returns.

Lack of Engagement On Utah's Home Court

Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) catches a pass for a dunk against Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) and guard Keyonte George (3) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Jazz started the second half flat, and the lack of engagement continued throughout the whole quarter. The Jazz gave up 38 points in the third quarter as the Warriors made uncontested threes and had little resistance in the paint on their drives.

 
Jazz head coach Will Hardy attempted to stop the bleeding with multiple timeouts, but it was to no avail. Utah’s inability to put up any type of resistance on defense reared its ugly head as it did in the home opener.

The Memphis Grizzlies knocked down 37.8% on their threes on opening night, while the Warriors hit 40% on Friday night. The Jazz have length and athleticism in their frontcourt, but a Keyonte George and Collin Sexton backcourt combination is a tough defensive matchup for the Jazz. At some point in the season, I could see Cody Williams being inserted as a starter to give Utah some more length in its backcourt.

A Win For Team Tank

Oct 27, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge before a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It’s only been a couple of games, but the Jazz are off to a good start for fans who have their eyes on a top-five pick. Utah has gotten off to good starts in the past two seasons, but that may not be the case this year.

It doesn’t get any easier for Utah as it plays its next five out of seven games on the road, six of which are against teams projected to make the playoffs. Next is the first road game of the year against the defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks. 

The oddsmakers projected Utah to win 29 games this year. It will be interesting to see how much those odds have changed after dropping two games at home. My guess is it will be under 24.

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