News

Jazz crush Perth in preseason opener

The Utah Jazz got their season underway with a dominant 130-72 victory over the Perth Wildcats, a professional Australian team from the NBL. The Jazz jumped out to a quick start, leading 44-13 after the first quarter, allowing the starters to get rest for much of the night. Donovan Mitchell paced the starters with 21 minutes, while Royce O’Neale was the next highest with 16.

Mitchell casually strolled to a nine point, four rebound, four assist outing, picking up where he left off last season.

The surprise of the night came from rookie Grayson Allen, who made all of his first five field goal attempts, including four makes from the three point line. Allen struggled mightily shooting the ball his final season at Duke, as well as during the NBA summer league, so easy makes were a welcome sign from the 22 year old. Allen finished 7-14 from the floor, and 5-9 from beyond the arch, leading the Jazz with 19 points in his NBA debut. While minutes may be hard to come by as a rookie on a loaded Jazz roster, if he can add reliable shooting to the team’s backcourt, he might be able to crack the rotation quicker than expected.

Alec Burks also stood out tonight, finishing with 18 points on 6-8 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists.

The Jazz will host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, with Kawhi Leonard making his debut in a Raptors uniform.

 

 

To Top