The revenge tour continued in a positive way.
After avenging an early-season loss to Detroit two nights ago, the Jazz had the opportunity to do the same on Thursday night against Washington.
Mission accomplished.
Utah overcame a slow start with a dominating performance on both ends of the court in the second half to pick up the 120-112 victory over the Wizards.
"I think our spacing was much better at the end of the game. … It allowed the guys to make great decisions," Hardy said. "It's always a team effort on that end, especially at the end of the game when trying to execute. I thought our team's poise was great. … It was a group effort as always."
1.) Sexton Sensational In Return
Recovering from a hamstring strain, Collin Sexton hadn't played in two weeks but made his return triumphant. He was the spark the Jazz needed off the bench, starting hot and never cooling down.
Sexton scored 11 points in seven minutes in the first quarter, giving Utah the spark it needed. He gave the Jazz another big spark to end the third, scoring five straight and igniting the Vivint Arena crowd.
He finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
"I want to give Collin a lot of credit. … His first night back and bringing that energy to the game," Hardy said. "I thought he stirred the game up some."
2.) Beasley In The Three-Point Contest?
While it's still early in the season, Malik Beasley has emerged as one of the premier six men in the league — and Thursday night was more of the reason why.
He finished with a team-high 25 points, shooting 9-for-17 from the field and 3-of-7 from the arc. He also added four steals and two rebounds.
After Thursday's performance, Beasley has proven he's one of the best three-point shooters in the league. He's knocking down 39% of his shots from beyond the arc on 8.5 attempts per game.
He has now made 116 threes on the season, the third-most in the NBA — trailing only Steph Curry (131) and Anfernee Simons (120). Of the top 15 players with the most makes, he's the only player coming off the bench.
Beasley's answer was short and succinct when asked postgame whether or not he wants to represent the Jazz in the Three-Point contest at All-Star weekend.
"Yeah."
He's not wrong!
3.) Defense Dominates In Second Half
Hardy wasn't thrilled with Utah's defense in the opening 24 minutes, for a good reason. The Jazz were slow on rotations, struggling to move their feet (which resulted in many fouls), and weren't putting forth the physical intensity Hardy wanted.
While it was never revealed what was said at the half — whatever it was, the Jazz listened and reacted. Utah was downright dominant in the final 24 minutes, holding Washington to just 48 points — eight of which came in the last three minutes when the benches were emptied.
Although the Wizards aren't an offensive juggernaut, Thursday's performance shows what the Jazz are capable of when they're locked in and focused on the defensive end.
"Really a tale of two halves in terms of our defensive intensity, physicality, and communication," Hardy said. "I thought our defense was really poor in the first half, and then to respond and give up 46 in the second half showed the resolve of our group."
4.) Kessler Career-High
When Utah starting forward Kelly Olynyk went down with a sprained ankle, it was unknown how the Jazz would respond. Would they insert Beasley into the starting lineup, a role he's filled in previously. Would veteran Rudy Gay take over, someone who's been in that spot before?
Instead of those options, Hardy and his staff decided that rookie center Walker Kessler would take over those minutes. What a decision that has turned out to be.
In the past three games — all starts, Kessler is averaging 11 points, 9.3 rebounds, and two blocks per game. He was particularly special on Thursday, finishing with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in a career-high 32 minutes.
While Olynyk is expected to return to the starting lineup once healed, Kessler has proven that his time is coming — a terrifying thought for opposing teams.
5.) What In The West Is Happening?
With the midway point of the season quickly approaching, there is no clarity at the top of the Western Conference standings.
It's rare to see, but the No. 1 seed (Denver) and the No. 7 seed (Utah) both have 19 wins — two of six teams in the West with 19 on the year.
Minnesota (16-16), which sits in the 10 seed, is just four games back of Denver. Any team who gets hot could see themselves vaulting to the top of the standings — but the opposite is possible as well.
The Jazz look like a team who could string together some victories. They've won two in a row, and five of their next seven games come against teams currently .500 or less.