The Utah Jazz are winners of three of their last four games, something they've yet to do this entire season. The Jazz have started finding success after starters Jordan Clarkson and John Collins were removed from the starting rotation. Clarkson is on the mend with a thigh injury and is also on the trade block, while Collins, who is on the trade block as well, returned to the rotation as a bench player against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Jazz looked good on both sides of the ball. Offensively they shot nearly 50% from the floor and over 41% from three. Three players, Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, and Lauri Markkanen all scored 20 points or more, and six players had three assists or more. With a team total of 30 assists, they more than doubled the number of turnovers, a feat that hasn't been easy for this team to achieve.
The defense was also huge in the win, which saw Walker Kessler back in the starting lineup and getting minutes. Kessler was everywhere on the court, putting up 14 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks along the way, all while leading the defense that held the Nets to just 108 points.
Nets forward Miles Bridges was left hurting, going just 4-16 against a Jazz team that looked to finally be living up to their full potential. With increased minutes to Kris Dunn, Ochai Agbaji, and a motivated unit around them, the Jazz look to finally have shored up some of their issues on defense; namely not having to worry about Collins or Clarkson taking off plays.
The Jazz are only 10-17 but these last four games have made fans realize that this team is better than we've been seeing. Bad rotation and lineup combinations have sunk this team but if they can string together a few more good games in a row, they may be able to turn their fortunes around and start to make this season worthwhile.