3 stocks on the rise following the Utah Jazz’s first win of the season

The Utah Jazz won on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers and three players saw their stocks go up.

The Utah Jazz eeked out a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night to the tune of 120-118. The Jazz had a lead on the Clippers, but due to a porous defense and bad shot selection, the Jazz would end up blowing a 10-point lead that they had in the third.

The Clippers would come back, and even take the lead thanks to some timely shots from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as well as Norman Powell being made to look like an All-NBA caliber player.

But the Jazz wouldn’t get deflated and would bounce back against the Clippers, behind a total team effort. That effort got the Jazz a two-point win, closing out the third game with the Clippers since the start of the preseason. Many had the Clippers in the playoffs this year, so this kind of win should only help fortify the Jazz’s aspirations.

And while it was a total team effort as mentioned before, three players looked really good following the close of the game, and these are those three players.

Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen was the reason the Jazz had that 10-point lead, and when he was taken out of the game, was when the Jazz stopped being able to match the Clippers point for point. His return near the back end of the game saw the Jazz be able to out-pace the Clippers offensively, thanks to his 52% rate of success from the floor (39% from three). He finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds, and a key catch-and-shoot three to get the Jazz back into the ball game.

Kelly Olynyk

Watching Kelly Olynyk be one of the five last guys on the court was wonderful, as everyone saw what he could bring the team. Once, someone we thought was a trade piece, now, we’re under the belief the team can’t afford to lose him. He hit two back-to-back three-point shots late in the fourth that was vital for the team’s victory, as well as good low-post defense and great court vision He finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists while going 5-6 from the floor and 2-2 from three.

Kris Dunn

Through the three first quarters, Kris Dunn wasn’t a factor offensively, going 0-5, but would drop two shots in the fourth, while also representing the Jazz with their closeout rotation for the game. Dunn’s defense was instrumental in stopping the Clippers’ late-half run, and had they left in other guys, no name mentioned, the Jazz would’ve lost. Dunn isn’t a great offensive threat, but he isn’t needed for that. The Jazz need guys who can keep teams from shooting 50+ three-pointers, which is what Dunn does well.