The Utah Jazz aren’t the sexiest franchise in the NBA — never have been. But the latest incarnation of the team has the makings of something interesting.
The Jazz picked up their fourth win in seven games on Sunday, beating the New York Knicks 114-109 with a balanced effort at Madison Square Garden.
Six Jazz players scored in double figures, led by Gordon Hayward’s 28 points and George Hill’s 23 points and nine assists. It was a typical team showing from a group that more than makes up for its lack of a true superstar with a slew of talented players.
Hayward can score in bunches, but he’s also a solid rebounder and has a nice passing touch. Then there’s the cagey veteran point guard in Hill, who so far is averaging nearly double his 11.4 points per game average for his career. Meanwhile Rudy Gobert has quietly become a solid center, good for nearly a double-double a night. And don’t forget Joe Johnson, the former All-Star who has been a solid contributor off the bench, averaging nearly 14 points.
The Western Conference is tough, but the Jazz just missed the playoffs last season. If this team continues to jell, they could be a tough out for a contender in the first round.
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Stud of the night
C.J. McCollum carried the scoring load for the Portland Trail Blazers in their 100-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. McCollum scored 37 points on Sunday, hitting 6 of 12 attempts from the 3-point line.
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Dud of the night
DeMar DeRozan finally fell off the horse — he only scored 23 points after going for better than 30 in his first five games. DeRozan hit just 7 of 20 attempts from the field as the Toronto Raptors fell 96-91 to the Sacramento Kings.
Tweet of the night
Gobert baptized Kristaps Porzingis on a Sunday afternoon.
#DLeagueAlum @rudygobert27 was FLYING HIGH in the big 🍎 pic.twitter.com/a04Gj4CX4K
— NBA D-League (@nbadleague) November 7, 2016
MIRE: Stats, info from Knicks loss to Jazz
Looking ahead
Indiana Pacers (3-3) at Charlotte Hornets (4-1), 7 p.m. ET — Both the Pacers and Hornets came into the season hoping to separate themselves as contenders to challenge the Cavs in the East. The Hornets have gotten off to a 4-1 start while the Pacers are sitting at .500.