Jordan Clarkson beats Donovan Mitchell late as Jazz beat Cavs

The Utah Jazz tear down the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night in a high-scoring affair: 131-128 as the final score.

The game was fun from wire to wire, with big leads and a fair amount of seesaws in the second half. It was an exciting contrast of styles with the Jazz raining threes and the Raptors coming out on top at halftime.

“Sky Walker” Kessler, Walker Kessler “Ranger”, [insert your favorite nickname for the rookie] he was outstanding tonight and a key cog in the win. He surpassed the triple-digit block mark for the season to go along with his 17 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal on 75% true shooting.

Kessler recorded four of his seven blocks in the first quarter. He bothered several Raptors all night, and as they adjusted throughout the game, he won the mental battle that proved fruitful throughout the game.

This performance after being selected to participate in the NBA’s Rising Stars competition during the All-Star break here in Salt Lake City, a well-deserved honor.

The Raptors dominated the volume component of the game. Whether on the offensive glass or forcing turnovers, they lived up to their reputation as league leaders in generating extra possessions.

Utah turned the ball over 16 times and Toronto grabbed 25 offensive rebounds. Those opportunities turned into 37 points for the Raptors. As we saw tonight, a formula based heavily on volume can only get you so far.

The Jazz shot the ball pretty well but it was living at the line that saved the game. They were led by Lauri Markkanen shooting 10-10 and Mike Conley going 9-9 on the night.

Let’s dive into some other fun points from the night:

1. The Lauri Markkanen/Pascal Siakam duel was fun. Despite some similarities, their differences showed. Siakam’s ability to self-create brought the Raptors back into the game, while Markkanen’s insane efficiency set up a huge hill to climb.
2. Mike Conley proved once again why his name has been floating around trade circles and why the Jazz insist on picking compensation. He finished with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists.
3. Malik Beasley continues to fire off the ball, sinking 4 3-pointers to keep him in the top 5 for most 3-pointers made in the league, despite playing mostly bench minutes. His is also a popular name ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
4. Sophomore star Scottie Barnes was pretty underwhelming outside of his 14 rebounds. He had 18 points, 3 assists and a steal, but on 37.6% true shooting.

Let’s look at the 4-factor advantage stats to get an idea of ​​the game as a whole:

eFG% advantage: +13.3
TOV% advantage: -8.1
OREB advantage%: -8.9
FTA rate advantage: +14.9

This win puts the Jazz at 27-26, tied with the Golden State Warriors for 8th in the West.

Looking ahead, the Jazz will focus their attention on him Atlanta Hawks who come to town in the second of those four home games. The Hawks are 25-26 on the season, ranked eighth in the East.

It’s sure to be an interesting matchup with multiple storylines surrounding the contest, including Utah’s reported interest in John Collins and how close the teams are in the league standings.