Utah Jazz facilitate Paul George comeback in fifth straight loss
The Utah Jazz were kind enough to allow for a storybook ending for Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers last night. In George’s first game in three months, he powered his Clippers to a 121-115 win over the Jazz.
George finished with 34 points on 10/20 shooting from the field to go with 6 assists and 4 steals. It was an impressive performance from a player who has become quite comfortable with overcoming adversity.
It’s a trait the Utah Jazz should familiarize themselves with.
Utah Jazz find ways to lose
As it stands, this team has lost five games in a row. They appear to be falling apart at the seams.
They didn’t play horribly last night. In fact, the Jazz shot 55.1% from the field and a respectable 38.7% from three-point range. It was the freethrow line that spelled disaster in this game, as the team shot 58.6% on freebies.
If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Perhaps the most concerning trend for the Jazz lately is that no single, correctable issue arises as an explanation for their frequent losing.
Utah Jazz backcourt shines in loss
You certainly couldn’t put this one on Donovan Mitchell. He finished with 33 points while shooting 12/21 from the field. He did dish out the same number of assists as turnovers (6), but we can’t hold that against him. His main job is to score as much as he can as efficiently as he can, and he filled that role last night.
His running mate Mike Conley came to play as well. He had 19 points on 7/13 shooting. He also matched his assist total with his turnover total (3). That’s more of a concern for the point guard, but on the other hand, at least the volume in both totals was low.
Utah Jazz still missing wings
It is worth noting that Bojan Bogdanovic and Danuel House Jr. both remained absent in this contest. The Jazz are struggling to function with with slower, less perimeter oriented players like Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay at the 4 spot.
Utah Jazz reaching alert status red
Excuses aside, five consecutive losses in which your two best players were mostly available is unacceptable. This Utah Jazz team has championship aspirations. As it currently stands, they’ll struggle to escape the first round.
They may find themselves struggling to keep their roster together if they can’t.
Next. Ranking every season in Jazz history. dark
For now, the Utah Jazz need to focus on the present. They face another team that has struggled to meet expectations in the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. If they can’t come away with a victory, the tone of the conversation gets even darker.