The Jazz needed Saturday night.
Coming off a tough loss to Boston 24 hours prior and facing title-contending Philadelphia, Utah had its back against the wall. That didn't matter, as five players scored in double-figures to lead the Jazz to a 120-109 victory.
"It was a great win for us on a back-to-back coming off a tough game last night," head coach Will Hardy said. "The game got a little messy late, but really proud of the team and their approach tonight. I think coming in at halftime, they understood the things that we needed to address. … A bunch of guys played really solid for us tonight."
"A good team win and on to Milwaukee."
Here are five things to know following the win.
1.) Short Memory
Whether it's one team shooting out of their mind or another just struggling to get anything to drop, every year, there are a few games that are seriously lopsided.
For the Jazz, one of those games was Friday night in Boston. The Celtics were sensational, and Utah couldn't find a footing on either end of the court, as they fell 126-97.
Rather than dwell on what happened, the Jazz refaced their attention to the next game — against Philadelphia 24 hours later. According to Hardy, Utah immediately flipped the page when they boarded their plane later that night.
"I'm happy we get to play tomorrow. … The best way to move on after a game like tonight is to play again tomorrow," Hardy said postgame Friday.
Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton were their typical selves, each posting a double-double. John Collins was great in the first half and finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Walker Kessler added 10 points, while Jordan Clarkson finished with 18 points and six assists off the bench.
"Move on" was the message Saturday night, according to Collins.
2.) Sexton-Maxey Battle
One of the team's most energetic and competitive players, it doesn't take much to get Collin Sexton going. Facing off with 76ers star Tyrese Maxey — one of the most improved players this season — fireworks were somewhat expected on Saturday night.
It didn't take long to see that competitive fire lit.
On the opening possession, Sexton found himself defending Maxey, and the two got into it early. Both players could be seen jawing and getting physical while defending each other. While nothing warranted a foul or even caught the attention of officials, it felt like that moment was about Sexton letting Maxey know that he would be in his face all game long.
Even with the Jazz coming out with the victory, both players put on a show.
Maxey finished with 25 points and nine assists but struggled with his shot as Utah's physical defense forced him into a 9-of-24 showing from the floor and 1-for-8 from three.
Meanwhile, Sexton was more efficient on the night, finishing with a double-double of 22 points and 10 assists. His assists were his second-most as a Jazzman, trailing last year's 12 (also a career-high) against Detroit on Nov. 23.
"Collin having 10 assists was big for us. … I thought that our ball-handlers made a lot of good reads," Hardy said.
3.) Markkanen Double-Double
On a night when a win is badly needed, mainly to keep the good vibes going, a team needs its best player to step up in a big way.
Lauri Markkanen did just that.
He dropped his 10th double-double of the season when he finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 12-of-19 from the field and 5-for-9 from three in 34 minutes.
With reigning MVP Joel Embiid out, Markkanen was the only other All-Star on the court — and he played like one. He was the best player on Saturday, showing his ability to score in the paint and beyond the arc.
Markkanen shined in the third quarter when the Jazz needed him most, dropping 11 points and four rebounds. After the 76ers scored the first four points of the second half to take a three-point lead, his three-pointer capped off a 10-2 run as Utah never trailed the rest of the way.
4.) Fourth-Quarter Run
After a Maxey bucket cut Utah's lead to eight less than a minute into the fourth quarter, you could sense the momentum beginning to shift — especially after Philadelphia ended the third quarter with a fast break dunk.
However, Jordan Clarkson silenced the crowd when he took over. He went on a personal 7-0 run as Utah stretched its lead to 15 with just over 10 minutes to play. Clarkson did his damage in the paint, getting back-to-back layups before capping the run with an impressive and-one off an eight-floater.
That run ignited the Jazz the rest of the way as Utah answered every time the 76ers appeared to heat up. After the 76ers cut the deficit to 10 with five to go, Sexton's back-to-back buckets capped off a 5-0 run. Utah was never threatened the rest of the way.
5.) Points in the Paint
What made Utah's win much more impressive was that it came on a night when they shot just 26.7% from beyond the arc and turned the ball over 24 times. Despite having multiple open looks, Utah was cold from deep — and then when you add in the 76ers scoring 24 points off those turnovers, the game shouldn't have gone Utah's way.
But with Embiid out, the Jazz dominated in the paint.
Utah finished with 72 points in the paint on 36-of-46 shooting. They attacked relentlessly off the dribble, finding ways to get to the rim and finish. Collins finished with six dunks on the night, besting his previous season-high of two.
"Our offensive execution tonight, outside of the turnovers, was good," Hardy said. "I thought the team did a great job of attacking the rim. They're a little bit of a different team when Embiid doesn't play. … I thought our team did a good job of continuing to attack the paint, both off the dribble and playing off the ball."