Utah Jazz clings to the competition to keep an eye on the playoffs. In that capacity to cling to their hopes today they took the Boston Celtics ahead in a tremendously even game that ended 118-117.
Will Hardy he is a great connoisseur of the ins and outs of Boston. It is not for nothing that he came to Utah this season after serving on the Celtics coaching staff. And that knowledge is always a plus.
Then there are the improvisations that the game forces. Boston trailed 118-117 and had 5 seconds to win the game. The dead time of Joe Mazzulla had appointed Jayson Tatum as a player who had to receive the ball to look for the triumphant basket, but the ball never reached him, the ball went directly to Grant Williamswho made a more than debatable decision when facing the melee under the ring with Walker Kessler, one of the best shooters in the league. And Kessler effortlessly blocked Williams’ final attempt.
It was a shame for Grant Williams, because until then he was one of the players of the night. He had 12 points in the final quarter when he emboldened himself on the final play, and finished the game with 23 points after hitting no less than 7 three-pointers.
On the other hand, Tatum, a player called to decide the game, did not have a very lucky night. He left Salt Lake City with 15 points after missing 8 of 12 shots from the field.
Utah was playing its first home game in the entire month of March. His fans had not seen his team since February 28. Since then, 6 games in a row as a visitor, which contrasts with the home game that they have undertaken this Saturday, which will lead them to play 4 in a row at home.
The Jazz were competitive, and they were down 19 points. they were with Lauri Markkanen in 28 points and 10 rebounds and with Walker Kessler in 12 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Talen Horton-Tucker He had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, proving in the final stretch the honeys of joy with the basket that put the final 118-117 on the scoreboard and those of sadness when he lost a ball in the last seconds that could have cost him the game to his team.
Also important are the contributions to the local team of Broken Black (16 points) and Kelly Olynyk, glue player par excellence, who finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. As many as 10 of the 11 players who shortened for Utah scored.
Boston was unable to win despite making 22 3-pointers (Utah made 17) and was completely lost in the fight on the backboards, absent from the game Robert Williams III y Al Horford. A calamity for the Celtics on the rebound, giving up 17 on their hoop. If to those two casualties is added that of Marcus Smart… well, the Celtics’ defense falters without those three elements in play.
That yes, it is not necessary to forget that Utah played without Jordan Clarkson y Collin Sextonwhich forces Hardy to undergo a major restructuring of his outside game, although, it must be emphasized, Agbaji and Horton-Tucker worked very well.
Also note the excellent treatment of the ball that both teams had, with very few turnovers in the game.
Boston had a Jaylen Brown with 25 points and 6 assists, the aforementioned Grant Williams with those already mentioned 7 triples to finish with 23 goals already Malcolm Brogdon with 16 points.
Nor could the Celtics count on the injured Payton Pritchard.
