Game 39: Utah Jazz (18-20) vs Denver Nuggets (26-12)

[Inigo Montoya]

It's wild to think that after how the season started, a win tonight and this team will be one game under .500, and in play-in territory if it wasn't for the Lakers eking out a win last night.

[FJS]

This team remind me a little to the 2017-2018 team.

At some point we were 19-28 and they finished 48-34

Or the 2018-19 team that was 18-20 at this point and finished 50-32.

We´ll see if Ainge let the team to reach full potential or at one point decides to sell some pieces.

[Jazz Dog]

I really think this year it depends on the potential trade. I think Ainge is okay with playing it out and let the team make the playoffs unless he gets some offer that blows him away.

I'm thinking this year is about individual growth, not about the 24 draft pick.

[SoCalJazzFan]

What. Is. Going. On?

[Crunch 99]

Clarkson is killing it in his old microwave off the bench role!

[vryadli]

Looks like coach Hardy made a groundshaking discovery: bench points still count as much as starters points and even as much as those of team best star - and because if that something like 5 times 20 is more than 40+20+15+8+6!

That, of course, is a bad loophole in NBA rules , but being a small market team Jazz has no choice but to fight that dirty.

[AGE1207]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

[Inigo Montoya]

1. Another good performance. The nice thing about the recent stretch of games is that the Jazz are able to win while not playing their players a ton of minutes. Tonight Markkanen and Clarkson played the most with 32-33 minutes, and the next closest played 26 minutes. This allows players to stay relatively fresh and also give max effort while they are on the floor because they don't need to pace themselves over 36 minutes+.

2. Excellent game from Clarkson who once again managed to score well and dish well while not disrupting the offensive flow.

3. Sexton was also very good. Kept mistakes to a minimum and played very responsibly. 22 points in 21 minutes.

4. It's been a while since Markkanen has this sort of game where he's at the line 10+ times. Very nice game for him.

5. Shout out to Agbaji who played excellent defense when it really mattered and helped the Jazz open a lead from the start of the game. His shot isn't falling and he needs to improve his offense but defensively he's good.

6. Strange that we didn't see more of Kessler on Jokic but I guess we didn't need to, given the score. Jokic had it easy down low and got anything he wanted but the Nuggets were still in blowout territory from the beginning and through most of the game. Collins played well.

7. Unlike other games, the Nuggets were in full health. I don't think anyone expected the Jazz to end this stretch of games with a 3-1 record.

[Inigo Montoya]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

Why? I think it might help them and make decisions easier.

Our players are playing well and are easier to trade than they were before. If the playoffs are in reach it's an easy decision to go for it unless they have some prospect they are really infatuated with, which seems unlikely. Might as well go for it an convey the pick to OKC in what is supposed to be a weak draft (next season should be loaded).

[red4hf]

What a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning........

[FJS]

We played really well. Defense is contagious, and with Dunn and Fontecchio giving all, I see an improvement in the other guys. In the second unit, Kessler and Agbaji show it too, and the other ones are working better.

I'm sorry for THT because he did not played bad at all and probably doesn't deserve not to play, but the team is playing really great with this rotation, so we must not touch something is working.

[vryadli]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

Why? I think it might help them and make decisions easier.

Our players are playing well and are easier to trade than they were before. If the playoffs are in reach it's an easy decision to go for it unless they have some prospect they are really infatuated with, which seems unlikely. Might as well go for it an convey the pick to OKC in what is supposed to be a weak draft (next season should be loaded).

But it is difficult to imagine even better stretch, so Danny has to start massive trade ASAP. Everyone who played well has to be traded in the next 2-4 weeks.

By the way, thr Jazz currently is the only team in the West with 8:2, so trades values are definitely piqued

[AGE1207]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

Why? I think it might help them and make decisions easier.

Our players are playing well and are easier to trade than they were before. If the playoffs are in reach it's an easy decision to go for it unless they have some prospect they are really infatuated with, which seems unlikely. Might as well go for it an convey the pick to OKC in what is supposed to be a weak draft (next season should be loaded).

Do they let things run their course? Do they speed up the process or slow it down?

I find that decision easier when you have a bad team and the only way is up. Now I am not so sure…

[Inigo Montoya]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

Why? I think it might help them and make decisions easier.

Our players are playing well and are easier to trade than they were before. If the playoffs are in reach it's an easy decision to go for it unless they have some prospect they are really infatuated with, which seems unlikely. Might as well go for it an convey the pick to OKC in what is supposed to be a weak draft (next season should be loaded).

Do they let things run their course? Do they speed up the process or slow it down?

I find that decision easier when you have a bad team and the only way is up. Now I am not so sure…

This team's ceiling is very limited. Obviously, they should be active in the trade market and see if they can find an opportunity to get a significant upgrade/piece for the future they should go for it but other than that, just stay the course and let things play out until the end of the season. The draft is weak, it's better if we convey the pick to OKC this season, and if we can make the playoffs all the better. In the past offseason Ainge tried to speed up the process by going after Porzingis, Lillard and Jrue so if he manages to find a good trade then great but it has to be a player who fits the timeline.

[Hoops Addict]

Jazz keep handing out butt kickings. They have gone from bad to very good.....will it continue?

https://youtu.be/ZgU75H5Q3Cs?si=RQh8aVGfVEwIfHym

[Inigo Montoya]

Another W and getting closer to the.500 mark halfway the season. Who would have thought?

I think this is putting the FO in a real pickle now.

Locke talked today exactly about the FO's situation that you brought up, starting at about the 4:00 mark.

Watch on YouTube