Jazz Dunk Clippers, 110-102: Five Key Takeaways

What did we learn from the Utah Jazz's eighth win of the season?

The Utah Jazz were victorious against the Los Angeles Clippers in another highly contested battle that lasted deep into the fourth quarter. The Jazz prevailed, 110-102, while pushing their record to 8-3 on the season and claiming the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, currently.

The Jazz started Malik Beasley in place of Jarred Vanderbilt, who missed the game due to right adductor soreness. Beasley faired well in his start as a Jazzman by scoring 10 points and grabbing four boards.

The Jazz produced five double-figure scorers led by Jordan Clarkson's 23 points, five assists, and three rebounds, as well as Collin Sexton's 22 points. The Clippers also had five double-digit scorers, led by their All-Star Paul George, who scored 34 points and eight rebounds with four assists. 

The Clippers are now 5-5 and hold the No. 8 position in the Western Conference.

What did we learn from Sunday night's action? Here are some key takeaways from the contest.

Will Hardy Continues to Give Coaching Lessons

Coach Hardy continues to impress with decision-making as he leads the Jazz through the riggers of the NBA season. Hardy elected to keep Sexton in the fourth quarter of an intense contest. 

Sexton technically replaced Clarkson in the close-out quarter and capped his magnificent night with a thunderous dunk in the final minutes. Although Clarkson played well, Sexton had a greater in-game impact, and Coach Hardy was correct in the decision to leave Sexton.

Player of the Game: Collin Sexton

Sexton played his best game of the season, scoring the aforementioned 22 points and three rebounds, with two assists and a steal. But it was the sheer foot speed of 'Young Bull' that surely put future NBA opponents on notice as he dominated John Wall in the fourth quarter. 

Wall was selected No. 1 overall in the 2010NBA draft and has been titled as a blur throughout his career. Although a bit older, you can see that Wall is still faster than most, but he was outmatched by Sexton. 

The highlight of the night was when Wall watched Sexton vertically dunk the ball toward the end of the game. What a night for 'Young Bull.'

The Clippers Seemed Surprised by Loss

No NBA team has gone 82-0, but there are games you expect to win. With the hype now surrounding the Jazz, I fully expected the Clippers to have this game circled on their calendars, and I believe they did. 

The Clippers found out this Jazz team is the real deal and could not halt the onslaught down the final stretch of the fourth quarter. The Jazz displayed a higher degree of mental toughness and proved they are a playoff-caliber team. 

It seemed the Clippers were thinking they would win the contest down the final stretch, but they were mistaken. A final note was Wall's inability to convert from the perimeter or foul line, which the Jazz exploited.

10 Jazzmen See Action

The Jazz awarded 10 players with game minutes, and everyone had at least two rebounds. Only Talen Horton-Tucker had a negative rating per the plus-minus scoring system, which was -1. 

The Jazz again proved the power of having an entirely productive unit, and that was without Vanderbilt, a normal starter.

Jazz are Bought-In

The Jazz are rolling and having a lot of fun winning basketball games. A key point with the Jazz is they have players who actually want to play basketball and enjoy playing basketball every night, which is rare in today's NBA world. 

It seems more teams have players that do not play every night and do not seem to love the game. The Jazz are displaying commitment, mental toughness, and versatility, all of which contributed to Sunday's victory over the Clippers. 

Up next is a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and I can assure you every team will be waiting for the outcome of the new-look Jazz.

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Follow James on Twitter @jlewNBA.

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