The Jazz came out looking discombobulated, undersized, and prone to turnovers. They found themself down 9-2 to open up the game, settled for a bunch of low-percentage floaters, and allowed Nurkic to feast inside. He used his height advantage to bully smaller defenders such as John Collins and Taylor Hendricks, who were usually unable to affect his shots. Kevin Durant also had a key mismatch—coaches usually put their best defenders on KD, and in Will Hardy’s case that is Kris Dunn, who is about a foot shorter. Still, Dunn did well, all things considered. In the mid-first quarter, Keyonte George, Taylor Horton-Tucker, and Taylor Hendricks checked in.
Game Recap: Post NBA trade deadline, Utah Jazz fall to Kevin Durant and the Pheonix Suns
