After last game, Will Hardy had some tough quotes for the young Utah Jazz. The most notable quote was when he said, “You are a member of a team. This is not about you.” Jazz fans were speculating online about who he was talking about, but it could have been directed at many players. The second half saw the Jazz get decimated last game. In this game against the Houston Rockets, it was different. Utah fought hard in the second half and was barely outpaced by the Rockets, losing 121-110.
Utah has done this multiple times recently, where they’re close at halftime and then get smoked in the second half. That’s what made it nice to see Utah play hard and keep this one close. Yes, the goal for the Jazz is to lose these games for Cooper Flagg, but you want to see development and improvement, too.
Here were some of the bright spots for the Jazz:
Kyle Filipowski continues to make some serious noise. His 16 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists is an impressive line against a good Rockets defense. Utah found a gem in Filipowski and he just keeps on showing great promise.
Isaiah Collier had possibly his best shooting game of the season. He scored 16 points on 7/12 shooting. He also dished out 5 assists with 1⁄3 shooting from three. Collier is showing some nice signs with his shooting and there’s a world where he becomes a big part of what the Jazz do in the future. Hopefully he can keep up the shooting!
Keyonte George had a nice night with 17 points, and 8 assists. He also had a decent shooting night, going 5/11 from the field. George also took 7 free throws and went 7/7. There are nights like tonight where George shows fantastic growth, that he can become a productive player in different facets on the offensive end.
Is Brice Sensabaugh the best three-point shooter in the league? Tonight, Sensabaugh went 6/6 from the field and 5/5 from three. The only shot he missed was the one free throw he took. That type of shooting makes a player valuable. If he can shoot at this high a level, then he becomes a core part of Utah's future.