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The Utah Jazz have been an absolute delight to follow this season. With the Jazz passing the LA Lakers to enter the play-in tournament spot after their latest win, coach Will Hardy has nothing but praise for his team.
The Jazz are coming out on top after a stunner of a game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday (Mar. 20) night. The 128-120 scoreline doesn't do justice to how close the game was in the last stretch.
The first half of the game saw Utah dominate. With a comfortable lead heading into the second, the Jazz were expected to coast to a win. However, Sacramento showed exactly why they are one of the top teams in the West. In a furious comeback led by Keegan Murray and De'Aaron Fox, the Kings took the lead in the fourth, which is when Utah showed immense poise and composure.
The young Jazz team matched the Kings bucket-for-bucket in the last few minutes. When the time came to lock it down at the defensive end, Jazz rookie Walker Kessler shone brightest. As Kessler shut down the paint on the defensive end, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji exploited Sacramento's defensive shortcomings to take the lead.
After a hard-fought battle, Utah emerged victorious. Considering that they were without a few of their key players, the Jazz showed tremendous depth as eight players notched double-digit scoring. Hardy had nothing but praise for his team after the performance:
"The thing I continue to be most proud of with this team is that every night, it just seems like different people continue to step up. And continue to use the opportunities that are given to them to try to contribute to winning."
Hardy gave a shoutout to Jazz big man Udoka Azubuike, who returned to action with 13 points and eight rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. He also placed emphasis on Agbaji's performance:
"We continue to see his game start to expand a little bit."
Hardy concluded:
"I love this team. I hope you guys do too."
There's very little not to like the Utah Jazz core. By blending some incredible young talent with a passionate coaching staff, Utah has created an interesting unit.
Can Utah Jazz make the playoffs?
The Utah Jazz have been a wildly erratic team this season. From being the best in the West to being out of the play-in bracket, Utah has seen it all. However, given the brand of basketball they're playing, the Jazz should make the playoffs.
Utah was expected to enter an all-out tank this season. Having traded both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert along with their core veterans, the Jazz became a brand new unit. However, that allowed players like Lauri Markkanen to come to the forefront and shine.
The Utah Jazz are tenth in the Western Conference after leapfrogging the LA Lakers. With 11 games to go and riding a two-game winning streak behind them, the Jazz will fancy their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Guess the Lakers players!
