Jazz Face Trail Blazers Before Long Preseason Hiatus

Oct 3, 2022, 1:49 PM | Updated: Oct 4, 2022, 2:13 pm

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in their second preseason matchup.

The Jazz fell to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday 114-82, making a new era with the radically reformed roster.

Forward Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 20 points in the loss while Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton added 11 points apiece.

Absent Faces In Raptors Loss

Despite it being an exhibition, several Jazz players saw only limited minutes against the Raptors while a few players never took the floor.

Rookies Ochai Agbaji and Simone Fontecchio each played just under nine minutes in Sunday’s loss, joining Jared Butler, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Cody Zeller in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

Newcomers Leandro Bolmaro, Saben Lee, Stanley Johnson, and two-way rookie Johnny Juzang did not see the court in the loss to the Raptors.

After Sunday's loss, new @utahjazz head coach Will Hardy praised Walker Kessler's breakout performance.

“There’s definitely some bright spots to build on,” Hardy said.

See what else Hardy said about the rookie and the Jazz performance here.#takenote https://t.co/q376xQKv0d

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 3, 2022

Coach Will Hardy didn’t discuss his rotation after Sunday’s game, but did point to some things his team did well in their debut.

“In the first half we had 14 of our 18 makes we’re assisted,” Hardy said. “I thought the ball moved around well — we got off 40 threes.”

However, the Jazz offense slowed considerably in the second half scoring just 33 points while knocking down 22 percent of their field goal attempts.

“The shots were okay until about midway through the third quarter,” Hardy said. “We got a little bit bogged down offensively”

Jazz Face Blazers Before Preseason Hiatus

The Jazz will benefit from a scheduling quirk after facing the Blazers on Tuesday night. Between games two and three of the preseason, the Jazz will enjoy a seven-day hiatus to right the wrongs from their opening two games.

After playing two games over a 72-hour period, the Jazz won’t see the floor again until October 11 when they host the San Antonio Spurs at Vivint Arena.

The Jazz will then wrap up the preseason on October 14 against the Dallas Mavericks.

The @utahjazz will unveil a new court next Saturday when they host an open scrimmage for the public. #TakeNote https://t.co/Eyv0XJms3A

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 28, 2022

“It’s a good time to bond and learn each other and figure everything out,” guard Jordan Clarkson said of the Jazz extended preseason.

Despite having seven days between their second and third preseason games Jazz fans will have an opportunity to see the team take the floor. The Jazz will host an open scrimmage for the public on Saturday, October 8 at Vivint Arena.