Utah Jazz alumni: Joe Johnson, Al Jefferson, Triplets advance to BIG3 Championship

Former Utah Jazz players Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson are on their way to the BIG3 Championship after a convincing win over the 3-Headed Monsters.

Three weeks ago, former beloved Utah Jazz players Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson along with their BIG3 team Triplets needed some late-game heroics to overcome a tough 3-Headed Monsters squad. Those heroics came in the form of a big-time comeback after trailing by double figures, and more specifically in a breath-taking step-back four-point shot by Iso Joe to seal a 50-48 come-from-behind victory for his Triplets squad.

It was undeniably one of the most exhilarating games and moments in the BIG3’s young history.

Ironically, Johnson and Jefferson took on the 3-Headed Monsters yet again on Sunday afternoon in the first round of the 2019 BIG3 Playoffs. But this time around, there was no need for such a flurry of end-of-game scoring as Triplets instead dominated for most of the contest.

After leading at the half by a score of 26-22, Johnson and Co. quickly pulled ahead by double figures in the second half. And although the 3-Headed Monsters, headlined by Rashard Lewis, Mario Chalmers, Reggie Evans and head coach Gary Payton, went on a bit of a run, they were never really able to make it close again. Triplets went on to win convincingly by a score of 50-39.

Once again, Joe Johnson solidified himself as head and shoulders above the rest of his BIG3 competitors as he shouldered a massive load for Triplets with 26 points in the contest, including a three-point dagger over Evans that served as the game winner. Jefferson was also a major contributor with 10 points on the afternoon.

With the victory over the fourth-seeded 3-Headed Monsters, Triplets will advance to the BIG3 Championship where they’ll take on the Killer 3’s on Sunday, September 1st in Los Angeles. The Killer 3’s are coming off an impressive win themselves where they knocked off the defending champion Power by a score of 50-42.

The Killer 3’s earned the BIG3’s second seed and will present a challenge for Triplets with prominent former NBA talent such as Stephen Jackson and C.J. Watson, who were both excellent in Sunday’s contest. They were also bolstered by the play of Donte Green and former Weber State standout Franklin Session.

Triplets and the Killer 3’s never faced off against one another in the regular season, so it’s fitting that the top two seeded teams in the league will go head-to-head for the first time in a battle for all the marbles.

With Donovan Mitchell suiting up for Team USA and former fan favorites in Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson playing in the BIG3, Utah Jazz fans have a lot to keep tabs on this summer in preparation for the upcoming 2019-20 season. Considering Team USA’s recent struggles with a loss to Australia and subpar play from Mitchell, ideally they’ll turn things around and Triplets will come out with a championship to right the offseason ship for Jazz Nation this upcoming week.

Ironically, the BIG3 Championship and Team USA’s first game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup (against the Czech Republic) will take place on the same day (9/1), albeit with Mitchell and Co. hitting the floor at 6:30 AM MT and Triplets going into action at 2:00 PM MT. Regardless, it will be a great day of summer hoops for Utah Jazz fans.