Jazz 126, Pistons 111: Three Key Takeaways

The Utah Jazz snapped their two-game skid against the Detroit Pistons.

Lauri Markkanen scored 38 points on a career-high nine three-pointers as the Utah Jazz defeated the Detroit Pistons, 126-111. Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 30 points in a losing cause.

The Jazz entered into the contest losing two straight on the road in decisive fashion, but against the last-place Pistons, it was Markkanen who had his way, shooting a scorching 69% from long distance to lead the Jazz to the victory.

What did we learn as Utah improved to 18-16 on the season? Let's take a look.

Jarred Vanderbilt Fills the Stat Sheet

Utah’s starting forward flirted with a triple-double, scoring 18 points while grabbing 13 points and dishing out six assists. Vanderbilt has shown his value averaging career-highs in points and three-pointers while still being Utah’s best wing defender this year. 

Contenders looking to upgrade their roster will be calling with the trade deadline being less than two months away, but it’s going to take a first-round pick for any chance to pry Vanderbilt away from the Jazz.

Markkanen Making All-Star Bid

Markkanen remains Utah’s leading candidate to play in this year's All-Star game in Salt Lake City. The 7-footer from Finland's numbers in December are raising eyebrows around the league, as he's averaging 25 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. 

His efficiency scores are the most impressive thing. On the season, Markannen is averaging 22.8 points on just 15.1 shots per game while shooting 53.5% from the field and 83% from the charity stripe. Despite his success this year, he gave all the credit to his teammates on Tuesday night.

“I always give credit to my teammates," Markkanen said. ”I think all of them were catch-and-shoot threes. They did a good job getting me open with some good screens. I was just happy to see a couple go through the hoop.”

The Jazz were 1-2 in Markannen’s recent three-game absence but have gone 3-2 since his return.

Time to Make Hay

It's been one step forward and one step back in regards to moving up in the standings as of late, but that could change over the next couple of weeks. Utah's schedule lightens up over the next eight games, with the Sacramento Kings being the only team with a winning record during this stretch. 

Getting Kelly Olynyk and Collin Sexton back healthy will be critical if Utah wants to get out of the play-in game and into a top-six seed. Currently, the Jazz are only a half-game game from a playoff berth and 1.5 games from being in the lottery in a congested Western Conference.

Next up for the Jazz are the Washington Wizards on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm MDT.

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