Utah Jazz: Five Silver Linings From the Two-Game Skid
By Ryan Aston
1) Alec Burks & Dante Exum Are Back
Injuries continue to be the story of the Jazz season, with the team having lost something in the neighborhood of 100 combined games to injury or illness this season. This was as evident as ever in the last two games — with George Hill on the scratch list, Thomas and Lowry both ran wild on the Jazz defense.
Nevertheless, the Jazz are closer to full health than they’ve been all season.
After making his big return against the Brooklyn Nets, Alec Burks got onto the court for the second time this season in Toronto. He only played four minutes, but he also scored for the first time this season, hitting his only field goal attempt, making 2-of-3 from the line and finishing with four points.
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Dante Exum also returned to the floor against the Raptors, ending a streak of seven straight DNPs. While his line of two points and two assists doesn’t leap out and grab you, he moved well and did some good things defensively. In a game the Jazz lost by eight, he posted a D-rating of 93.4 and a net rating of 7.1.
These were good first steps down a road that hopefully leads to Burks and Exum becoming impact players once again.