The Utah Jazz are on their first extended road trip of the season. After an 0-6 start with fans and media alike wondering if the tank was already on. With franchise leaders Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson still out, it looked like a 7th straight loss was not only possible but likely.
However, the Jazz showed life early, with all five starters scoring as they took a 14-8 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Jazz held a 30-27 lead and looked like they might make things interesting.
It got better in the second quarter when Patty Mills stepped up and gave the Jazz six points, one rebound, and two assists, and the Jazz pushed the lead to 45-37 just before the mid-point.
Collin Sexton and Keyonte George ran things from there, getting 13 of the Jazz's final 15 points of the quarter to help them lead 62-53 at the half.
In the third, the Jazz and Bulls traded baskets, with John Collins keeping pace and scoring 11 points, while Keyonte George had nine.
The Bulls rallied, getting 40 points in the quarter, and cut the Jazz's lead to 95-93 heading into the final quarter.
John Collins and Collin Sexton scored the next nine Jazz points, getting the lead back to eight (104-96) and giving Jazz fans a bit of relief. Then Keyonte George stepped up in a big way, scoring 13 points down the stretch to open up the lead, 128-117, and give the Jazz something they hadn't had since April 12 - a regular season win. The final score was Utah 135, Chicago 126.
The Jazz had a great game overall, getting a season-high in points and shooting at 53/44/76 splits for the night and a stellar 48 points from their bench, highlighted by John Collins' 28 points. He added 13 rebounds and five assists in his best all-around game as a member of the Utah Jazz.
Keyonte George had 33 points, 9 assists, a steal, and a block. He had only 2 turnovers and was 6-13 from long range and 11-13 from the stripe on the night, easily his best outing of the year.
Cody Williams scored 11 points, his season-high. He also had five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, and the Jazz were plus-16 in his 30 minutes. This was a very good outing for the rookie in his fourth start.
Walker Kessler played 32 minutes and logged 12 points, 16 rebounds (a season-high), and four blocks. He's looking much better overall as he continues to justify the Jazz's faith in keeping him around.
With the win, the Jazz are now 1-6 on the season and won't match the worst opening losing streak by the franchise - the 1974-75 team had an 11-game losing streak to start a season.
What's next for the Jazz
The Utah Jazz visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, who are on a six-game skid. While one would think this makes their schedule tougher, this game suddenly looks competitive, something we wouldn't have guessed a few weeks ago. Let's see if the Jazz can keep the good vibes going.