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Paul Millsap, PF 26 MIN | 4-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | -1A solid/decent game from Paul, despite the slow start. Luckily, Omer Asik provided lots of room for the Jazz bigs to move around. |  |
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Derrick Favors, PF 23 MIN | 2-7 FG | 4-4 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +10Favors- Not a great offensive play and needs to stay out of foul trouble early, but his defense was great; He blocked shots but there were many more contested shots that forced misses. A- |  |
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Al Jefferson, C 27 MIN | 4-12 FG | 6-7 FT | 16 REB | 2 AST | 14 PTS | 0Monstar [intended Space Jam spelling] game on the boards, which made up for an unimpressive offensive game. | |
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Randy Foye, PG 24 MIN | 4-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | -5Foye has impeccable timing with is 3s and always keeps the team and the fans happy. The calls for Burks are quieting with every solid performance by Foye. |  |
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Mo Williams, PG 27 MIN | 4-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 7 AST | 8 PTS | -3Mo Williams is really fast. |  |
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Marvin Williams, PF 25 MIN | 4-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +18Marvin gets an “A” for admitting to the media that he was in the bathroom at tip-off and was caught off guard when he had to replace Favors, who picked up two quick fouls in the first minute of the game. | |
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Jeremy Evans, SF 5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-1 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game. | |
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DeMarre Carroll, SF 13 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 8 PTS | +11Another game where he is the highlight of the second team. His hustle D created turnovers and great fast breaks. | |
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Enes Kanter, C 21 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +11Kanter deserves credit for an amazingly athletic alley-oop finish and it doesn’t matter what he did the rest of the game. Also gets points for being the best turk on the floor. | |
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Jamaal Tinsley, PG 21 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 11 AST | 3 PTS | +14The “Jamaal Tinsley hasn’t scored since…” meme was pretty funny, but I’m on board for the passing and stay for the playground handle. He’s not a shooter, but it’s a pleasure to watch a true pass-first point guard do his thing. It’s worth every turnover. | |
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Alec Burks, PG 5 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game. | |
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Kevin Murphy, SG 4 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game. | |
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Gordon Hayward, SG 19 MIN | 5-12 FG | 4-5 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 15 PTS | +24Let history remember this as the night Gordon Hayward threw down a spicy behind-the-head dunk. Some nice moments from G-Time leading the second unit after the first unit again came out flat. | |
Archives For Player Grades
I loved everything about this game. I don’t even care that it’s the preseason. Anytime the Jazz can win by 34 points and the home fans still get to watch a vintage Kobe performance, everybody wins. It was a great night to have Karl Malone visiting the NBA TV studio, too.
These grades are admittedly ridiculous, but with 11 players scoring at least 8 points, it was a rare exhibition of near perfection for the last three quarters from the Jazz. The new up-tempo style looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch, if this game is any indication. With such a deep bench, the fast speed might be the key to getting more players involved. The Jazz may not have a superstar, but they have a ton of players waiting to get some run. I’m hoping for some breakneck speed and five-man line changes.
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Marvin Williams, F 22 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 10 PTS | +17
Beautiful |
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Paul Millsap, F 22 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +11
Amazing |
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Gordon Hayward, F 19 MIN | 4-8 FG | 3-3 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 13 PTS | +10
Brilliant |
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Al Jefferson, C 22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 6-6 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 12 PTS | +14
Spectacular |
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Jamaal Tinsley, G 22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 8 PTS | +14
Awesome |
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Derrick Favors, F 22 MIN | 3-3 FG | 4-5 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 10 PTS | +24
Fantastic |
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DeMarre Carroll, F 17 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 8 PTS | +21
Beautiful |
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Enes Kanter, C 19 MIN | 4-5 FG | 2-3 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | +25
Beautiful |
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Alec Burks, G 23 MIN | 4-4 FG | 3-6 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | +20
Genius |
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Kevin Murphy, G 12 MIN | 3-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +1
Awesome |
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Randy Foye, G 18 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 10 PTS | +25
Awesome |
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Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Let’s let Earl Watson’s words after the game serve as the balm to heal after a tough, tough loss. It’s your team, Earl.
Earl Watson:
On the technical foul and scuffle with Nowitzki:
“…apparently it’s the second one that counts. Next time I’ll try to be first.”
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If he’s encouraged by the fight shown by the team:
“I’m not into moral victories, man. I’m into wins and losses; I don’t care about stats, I don’t care about anything but winning and losing. You couldn’t pay me enough money to be happy to lose, so…
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On whether he was standing up for Favors:
“Yeah, a little bit of that, a little bit of believing he would do the same thing. We move forward–it’s a tough loss…it’s pretty bad.”
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On whether he was trying to set an example for the younger players:
“I’m not trying to show anybody anything. I am who I am, and whether it’s good or bad, I’m just going to be myself. My teammates are like my brothers. I love all my teammates, I love my team. It’s like protecting your house, you know. We’ve all gotta be respectful. Be respectful; if not–whatever happens, happens.”
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Was it as good a crowd as he’s seen here?
“The crowd was good, the crowd is always good here. I wish we could have sent them home with a win. It would have been big for us, momentum-wise.”
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On what separates the top teams from the rest:
“Belief. Belief is strong. Once we start believing we can be as good as we can be, which is great. You don’t get to be second in the West by accident, and you know, when you get it you want to maintain it, when you get it, you want to be first. And once we get that mantra as a team, we’re going to be strong. Belief is stronger than reality.
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Paul Millsap, PF
40 MIN | 6-16 FG | 4-4 FT | 13 REB | 2 AST | 16 PTS | +1 Solid play from Millsap, but seemed to be spooked by the long arms of Haywood and Nowitzki. The Mavs cause all kinds of problems for the Jazz, so it was good to see them fight through the first-half deficit and make an exciting game of it. |
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Gordon Hayward, SG
27 MIN | 4-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 9 PTS | -5 Not a great game from Hayward, but his breakaway dunks seemed to exorcise a few demons and got the team rolling. It’s fun to see him attack the basket with confidence. Hopefully we see more of that and less of the “pick-and-nothing” guy who forces the offense to restart. |
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Al Jefferson, C
32 MIN | 8-18 FG | 6-8 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 22 PTS | 0 Had a few moments of brilliance and several more where he kicked the ball out and got it back several times in the same possession as he improved is position, but also spent several other possessions reverting to his tendency to burn the entire shot clock and throw up his famous “wheazy.” TM @allthatamar |
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Raja Bell, SG
26 MIN | 2-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 7 PTS | -1 Another feisty night from Raja, which seems to rubbing off on the team in a good way. Even though there were moments when in looked like the Jazz were spending too much time complaining and losing focus, the rough-and-tumble |
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Devin Harris, PG
24 MIN | 0-7 FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 1 PTS | -3 Just a terrible game all the way around for Harris. His overthrown pass to Hayward on a breakaway and his airballed 3-pointer were horrible moments to come up empty against his old team. Corbin was clearly kicking himself after the game for not riding Earl down the stretch. |
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Earl Watson, PG
24 MIN | 2-4 FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 7 AST | 5 PTS | 0 Tough to tell from his line that Earl was the heart and soul of the team on the night. His scuffle with Nowitzki set the tone. |
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C.J. Miles, SF
22 MIN | 5-11 FG | 6-6 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 17 PTS | +5 Another strong game from CJ Miles. He seems to be getting comfortable with his role and is making the most of his moments. Probably should have been awarded an extra 10-15 points for the spectacular crossover and dunk in traffic that he pulled off in the first half. One of the most ferocious dunks of the year. |
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Derrick Favors, FC
10 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | 0 The ejection for Favors was a tough break for Favors. Didn’t deserve the foul call, definitely deserved a technical for his reaction, didn’t deserve to get thrown out. Rules are rules, but it seemed like a stretch to accuse him of throwing the ball in the stands, if that’s what the referees decided. |
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Alec Burks, G
22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 3-3 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | -2 I tweeted during the game that Burks is the Jazz’s version of JR Smith, in all the right ways. I’m talking about the fearlessness and the sparkpluggedness. His confidence sometimes gets him in trouble, such as when he took a play off to complain about a call, but it serves this team well because he’s never afraid to take a shot or make something happen. |
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Five Things We Saw
- Referee Matt Boland gets an F for mishandling the Nowitzki stuff. The rule cited for the automatic ejection was that the ball was thrown either toward an official or toward the crowd. Neither seemed to be the case from my perspective. Probably deserved a technical, but definitely not an ejection.
- Dirk Nowitzki gets a T.
- The crowd gets an A.
- Roddy Beaubois gets an A, and a spot in the shine of no-name players who have career nights against the Jazz.
- If Enes Kanter puts the ball on the floor in the paint one more time…
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Thanks for input on grades from @brownbear844, @lord_chadeous, @yaboymitchd, @cowhideglobe, @matt_jury, @jazzingitup, and @bvanwagoner
