Jazz 122, Magic 118: 3 Winners, 1 Loser

The Utah Jazz are gaining some much needed momentum.

Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points while Walker Kessler flirted with a triple-double that included seven block shots as the Utah Jazz held off the Orlando Magic, 112-108. Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic with 26 points in a losing effort.

This one was a lot closer than Jazz fans would have wanted, considering that Utah was playing at home on two days' rest with Orlando on the last game of a four-game road trip.

But when the rubber met the road, the Jazz made the plays when it mattered. The sequence that flipped the game started with the Jazz up by one point and Collin Sexton shooting two free throws with 15.1 seconds left. Sexton clanked both attempts, but Kessler secured an offensive rebound and was fouled on a missed putback. 

Despite being a 56% free-throw shooter on the year, Kessler calmly sank both shots to give the Jazz a three-point lead. Markkanen then blocked a three-point shot on Orlando’s attempt to tie the game to seal the victory.

Let’s break down the winners and losers as Utah improves to 21-22 on the year. 

Winner: Walker Kessler

Utah’s rookie center just keeps getting better with the more live reps he’s been receiving since Kelly Olynyk went down with an ankle injury. Kessler finished the game with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds. It will be interesting to see what head coach Will Hardy does with the rotation when Olynyk is ready to play. 

Does Kessler go back to his role of coming off the bench and getting 20ish minutes per game, or has he earned the starting job moving forward? Jazz fans could riot if he goes back to being a reserve.

Loser: Ball Security

The Jazz kept the Magic in this one by turning the ball 24 times, which included 11 giveaways in the fourth quarter. Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with seven, while Markkanen chipped in with five. 

Utah missing its veteran point guard Mike Conley because of a rest day definitely contributed to the carelessness. Other than Conley, the Jazz don’t have a natural point guard on their roster that’s a good fit to run the offense in half-court sets. 

Also, Conley getting a rest day was a little bizarre, given that Utah was coming off of two days of rest at home. Jazz fans should keep an eye on Conley’s status heading into Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Winner: Collin Sexton

Sexton didn’t miss a beat after watching the previous five games from the sideline because of a sore hamstring. On Friday night, Sexton played the sixth-man role to perfection by scoring 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting and a +18 in the +/- column. 

Malik Beasley being inserted into the starting lineup is going to mean more pressure on Sexton to score at a high clip. The fourth-year pro was up to the task on Friday night.

Winner: Rebounding

It’s not easy to win games when you’ve committed nine more turnovers than your opponent, but where the Jazz made up ground was winning the battle of the boards. Utah out-rebounded Orlando 59-40, which included 17 on the offensive end. 

Markkanen and Clarkson led the way with 12 rebounds each. Cleaning the glass hasn’t been a strength so far this year, but more Kessler and less Olynyk bodes well for the Jazz moving forward in that category. 

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