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Vintage D-Rose drops career-high 50 points, Utah Jazz lose in thriller

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 31: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on October 31, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 31: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on October 31, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Utah Jazz came up short against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night thanks to a historic performance from Derrick Rose.

Wednesday night’s contest between the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves had to feature one of the most unexpected outbursts in NBA history. Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, who has really fallen off due to injuries, dropped 50 points on the Jazz, leading Minnesota to a 128-125 victory.

Yes, the Jazz lost, but you can’t help but feel so happy for Rose. He left the court in tears, and simply left the entire arena in awe. Many expected the Jazz to win this game considering Minnesota had no Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague or Tyus Jones, but Rose carried them to a close victory.

For the Jazz, you can take away some positives from this game, but a lot of negatives. First off, Donovan Mitchell didn’t close the game due to a hamstring injury. He scored 26 points and did most of that scoring in the second half. If he was on the court down the stretch, maybe things would have been different.

Other negatives I take away from this game are the play of Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles‘ shooting slump. Rubio was awful last night. He was getting torched defensively, turned the ball over six times, and wasn’t hitting shots.

Rubio had a huge game against New Orleans last week, but aside from that, he’s had a pretty tough season so far.

After torching the Golden State Warriors for 27 points earlier this month, Joe Ingles has struggled with his shot. He’s 8-of-30 (27 percent) from 3-point land since then. He’s passed up so many open looks and just doesn’t look right. Utah needs him to regain some confidence and just keep shooting.

Some positives from Wednesday night are the play of Rudy Gobert, Jae Crowder and Dante Exum. I thought these were by far the three best players on the court for the Jazz. Gobert had another double-double, scoring 22 points and hauling in 13 rebounds.

Gobert continues to finish everything around the rim and play his spectacular defense. At this rate, he’s a safe bet to be representing the Jazz during the All-Star game later this season. He’s playing the best basketball of his career.

Crowder scored 18 points off the bench, hitting five 3-pointers. He fits perfectly next to Gobert with his ability to stretch the floor. Exum closed the game due to Rubio’s poor play. The Aussie had 14 points in 25 minutes.

At the end of the day, the Jazz had a chance to win this game. You have to tip your hat to Derrick Rose, who played one hell of a game. Utah will look to bounce back at home against Memphis on Friday night.

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