Jazz HC Touts 'Handling Adversity of the Road' in Hawks Win
The Utah Jazz continue to make a mockery of the media’s NBA preseason power rankings, with a 125-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 32 points while knocking down 6-for-8 from long distance. It's becoming a trend where Utah is getting contributions up and down the roster.
Malik Beasley and Walker Kessler got to double digits off the bench, scoring 18 and 12 points, respectively. Shooting guard Jordan Clarkson also chipped in 23 points.
Shooting guard Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 26 in a losing cause.
The Jazz improved to 10-3 on the year, while the Hawks fell to 7-4.
The Jazz were red-hot coming into the contest and appeared to be cruising to a victory as they were able to jump out to a 14-point lead with 5:40 left in the second quarter, 50-36. However, the NBA is a game of streaks, and the Hawks were able to close the gap on an 18-13 run to get in striking distance at half, 63-54.
The third quarter was all about the Hawks, as the Jazz looked sluggish out of the gates. Trae Young and Murray used their athleticism to get easy looks and outscored the Jazz 36-22 to take a 90-85 lead heading to the final quarter.
But the Jazz dug in and stunned the Hawks with a 40-point fourth quarter and took their first lead of the quarter on a Beasly three-pointer with 9:32 left, and never looked back.
It was a game of stretches where at times, both teams appeared to be in control of the game, but when the rubber met the road, it was Utah that got hot at the right time.
This Jazz team is no joke on the offensive end and can score in bunches. 40-point quarters are usually reserved for All-Star games, but when Utah gets hot, it can score from anywhere on the court, and has no fear when launching it from long distance.
Head coach Will Hardy has instilled a no-fear attitude with this squad, and shame on ESPN and TNT for having zero games where the Jazz can show what they can do on a national stage.
"I’m proud of the way the guys responded to adversity on the road," Hardy said post-game. "I thought our team stuck together really well tonight."
The Jazz get a well-deserved two days off before they face off with the Washington Wizards on Saturday at 4:00 pm MDT.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
