Kris Dunn

Gabby Hundman

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Kris Dunn 22/23 Season Mixtape | UTAH JAZZ

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PHOTOS | Kris Dunn 22/23 Season

Ryan Kostecka

Following injuries to Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton — and after trades that sent away three other guards — the Jazz were searching for answers in the backcourt over the final 20 games of the year.

They found it in Kris Dunn, the 29-year-old point guard who’d spent much of the 2022-23 season in the G-League. After signing him to a 10-day contract on Feb. 22, Utah signed Dunn to another 10-day contract on Mar. 4 after he proved to be a valuable piece of the rotation. The Jazz then locked him up for the rest of the season when they signed him to a multi-year deal on Mar. 15, and Dunn rewarded them with sensational basketball down the stretch.&nbsp;

He played some of the best basketball of his career in April, averaging 18.0 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game. He shot 62.5% from the floor and 71.4% from deep. Overall, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 22 games with Utah.

According to Dunn, one of the biggest knocks for much of his career was his inability to shoot the ball from deep, but he put those rumors to bed during his time with the Jazz. He shot 47.2% from beyond the arc, knowing when to pick his spots and let it fly.&nbsp;

Coming off the bench as the team’s backup point guard, Dunn tended to show up in big moments. Whenever the Jazz needed a big bucket, he seemed to play a part — scoring himself or finding someone open.&nbsp;

His impact was immediate as he posted a Jazz season-high 14 assists against Denver in the final home game of the year. He also saved his best for last when he dropped 26 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists against the Lakers in the season finale.&nbsp;

“I think we’re all a little bit quick to judge players too quickly,” head coach Will Hardy said of Dunn. “I continue to be reminded almost every day that the great part about basketball is that you can always get better. … Those are the easy, feel-good moments over the course of a season.”

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"Always Get Better" | Dunn's Arrival Stabilizes Utah's Backcourt, Finishes Season Strong

Jeremy Rincon

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PHOTOS | Team 49

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End of Season Exit Interview: Kris Dunn

With nothing more than pride to play for in the season finale, the Jazz knew that was enough to give Los Angeles all it could handle on Sunday afternoon. For 46 minutes, Utah went toe-to-toe with the fully loaded Lakers — but in the end, the Jazz came up just short as they fell 128-117 in the final game of the season.

“Proud of the guys on our team for competing. … We pushed through,” head coach Will Hardy said postgame. “We get that everybody already has these preconceived notions, but we’ve talked a lot with the team this year about not letting anyone tell you who you are. … Whatever anybody says is supposed to happen, you still got to go play 48 minutes.”

In a year of defying the odds for the Jazz, it’s fitting that it was one of the last players to join the team this season who made the biggest difference in the finale.&nbsp;

After posting a near triple-double just 24 hours ago against the Nuggets, Kris Dunn had another chance to end Utah’s triple-double curse against the Lakers. Ultimately, the 5,534-day curse lives on as Dunn finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.&nbsp;

While he was excellent throughout, Dunn was even better in the fourth as he scored nine points over a four-minute span, which saw the Jazz climb back into the game again.&nbsp;

After missing Saturday’s victory over Denver, it wouldn’t have been a shock if Kelly Olynyk missed the finale against the Lakers on Sunday. After all, the big man is in his 10th season in the league and has nothing to prove to anyone.&nbsp;

But anyone who knows Olynyk knows that the versatile big man doesn’t take games off — finishing second on the team in games played. So when he lined up for the opening tip, it was known that Olynyk was ready to go.&nbsp;

That rest 24 hours ago did him good, as he was great for the Jazz on Sunday. Doing a little bit of everything, he finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 9-of-13 shooting and 3-for-4 from deep.

Olynyk wasted no time making his mark against the Lakers as he drilled a three on Utah’s opening possession, giving the Jazz the 3-0 lead and letting Los Angeles know it wouldn’t be a cakewalk in the season finale.&nbsp;

Understanding how much was at stake for his team, LeBron James was the answer for the Lakers as he knocked threes on three straight possessions as Los Angeles rallied with a 13-1 run. The Lakers pushed the lead to 13 following a three by former Jazzman Malik Beasley midway through the first.&nbsp;

Utah responded with an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to four, but the Lakers immediately responded with a 9-2 run as the deficit was back up to double digits. Juan Toscano-Anderson knocked down a three as the Jazz ended the quarter on a 5-0 run.&nbsp;

Los Angeles scored the first five points of the second as Utah’s deficit reached 11 again, but they refused to go away. Back-to-back threes by Simone Fontecchio and Dunn kickstarted a 15-3 run, which gave Utah its first lead since the opening possession.&nbsp;

The teams exchanged buckets for the next few minutes before an 8-2 run by the Lakers gave them a five-point advantage midway through. Utah answered as an Ochai Agbaji bucket gave the Jazz a one-point lead with four minutes left.&nbsp;

However, the rest of the half belonged to Los Angeles as they rattled off a 16-4 run as D’Angelo Russell knocked down two threes. An Olynyk bucket ended the run right before halftime.&nbsp;

Los Angeles wasted no time sending a message to start the third, upping its lead to 14, following another three by James just three minutes in. But Utah refused to back down, immediately going on a 14-4 run as and-ones by Olynyk and Luka Samanic were the key buckets.&nbsp;

A Troy Brown Jr. three a few minutes later put the Lakers back up nine with five minutes remaining, but Fontecchio immediately answered for the Jazz. Utah kept battling as Fontecchio caught fire for the Jazz, helping them cut the deficit to two with four seconds left in the third.&nbsp;

Utah trailed 99-95 heading to the fourth.

With so much on the line and playing in front of their home crowd, the Lakers finally gained some separation early in the quarter. Beginning with a Beasley three, the Lakers reeled off a quick 9-4 run to lead by nine with eight minutes to play.&nbsp;

But again, the Jazz kept coming. A quick 8-0 run as threes by Dunn and Olynyk made it a two-point game with four minutes to play, setting the stage for another dramatic finish.&nbsp;

After Los Angeles responded, Utah found itself trailing by five before a bucket by Dunn cut that deficit to three with just over two minutes remaining. But that was as close as Utah would get before James hit back-to-back threes to cap an 8-0 run.

“We’ve gone out and played our hearts out every single night regardless of who’s in and who’s out,” Hardy said. “Our team has embodied that. It’s fun as a coach when you know your team is not going to lose for a lack of effort, and that gives you peace of mind going into a game.”

Fontecchio was again great off the bench, dropping 20 points and nine rebounds on 4-of-11 from three. Udoke Azubuike added 12 points and six rebounds, while Agbaji added eight points and a career-high eight assists.

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"Played Our Hearts Out" | Utah Gives Lakers All They Can Handle In Regular Season Finale

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Highlights: Jazz 117 | Lakers 128

On Oct. 19, the Jazz began the season with a bang when they upset the title-contending Nuggets on opening night. Forty home games later, the Jazz pulled off an even bigger upset.&nbsp;

Down six of their top seven scorers, leaving Kris Dunn — a post-All-Star break singing — as the lone guy averaging double digits, Utah gave Jazz Nation one last gritty and gutsy effort at home as they stunned the title-contending Nuggets 118-114 on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

“In a lot of ways, this game speaks for itself,” head coach Will Hardy said postgame. “So proud of our guys. … We were down a lot of people, but their approach didn’t change. The game means something to them, they’re trying to make a name for themselves. … We’re trying to make a name for our program and Utah.”

The growth of rookie wing Ochai Agbaji has been one of the primary storylines over the last month of the season, and Jazz Nation got an even better look at that growth on Saturday as he was sensational.

Taking over as a primary scorer against the Nuggets, he finished with a career-high 28 points, three assists, and three rebounds. He also had one of the best plays of the season, throwing down a vicious one-handed dunk in transition over Denver’s Aaron Gordon.&nbsp;

While the efficiency on the night wasn’t what he was hoping for, the fact that Agbaji took those shots after a tough performance two nights ago shows a level of confidence and maturity not often seen in a rookie.

The Jazz knew that if they were going to have a real shot at taking down a Nuggets squad playing with their regular starters and rotation, somebody would have a special night.&nbsp;

After signing a multi-year contract with the Jazz after completing his 10-day contract, Samanic showed why Utah’s front office is so high on him when he dropped a career-high 23 points against Denver. He also added eight rebounds and two steals, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

With Agbaji and Samanic taking care of the scoring aspect of things, Dunn made it all possible.&nbsp;

Another guy the Jazz signed to a multi-year deal after completing two 10-day contracts, Dunn dropped his first double-double in a Utah uniform when he finished with 19 points, 14 assists, and eight rebounds. Not only was that a season-high in assists from a Jazz man this season, but Dunn also came dangerously close to breaking Utah’s triple-double curse.&nbsp;

It’s been a while since Utah got off to a scorching start, but that was the case on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

Agbaji, taking over as one of the primary scorers late in the season, got off to a blistering start when he scored eight points in the first four minutes as Utah jumped out to a 14-2 lead on the Nuggets.&nbsp;

Instead of letting Denver respond, the Jazz kept the pressure up as a Simone Fontecchio three gave them a 17-point advantage late in the first. The Nuggets eventually answered, cutting the deficit to 11 with less than a minute to go before Johnny Juzang’s short jumper ignited the Vivint Arena crowd.&nbsp;

The second quarter began with runs by each team.&nbsp;

Threes by Micah Potter and Agabji capped a 6-0 run as the Jazz doubled up Denver, 38-19, less than two minutes in. Denver finally answered, going on an 11-0 run as Jamal Murray dropped seven points.&nbsp;

Another Potter three ended the run, but Denver wasn’t done. They cut the deficit to seven following a Reggie Jackson dunk midway through the second. However, Utah answered with a quick 8-2 run to push the lead back to double digits.&nbsp;

Denver woke up over the final few minutes, closing on a 17-5 run as they knocked down three threes during that span — but a Samanic bucket beat the buzzer.

Utah’s lead didn’t last long as Denver hit back-to-back threes on their first two possessions, but the Jazz answered with back-to-back buckets by Udoka Azubuike and Dunn to retake the one-point lead.&nbsp;

After a Jamal Murray bucket gave the Nuggets the lead, Utah rattled off a quick 8-0 run with Agbaji dropping a deep three at the eight-minute mark. The Jazz would later extend their lead to nine following a Samanic jumper midway through the quarter, but it was all Denver the rest of the way.&nbsp;

A Porter Jr. bucket kickstarted a 23-6 run as the Nuggets caught fire from deep, knocking down four from beyond the arc.

After Denver’s lead swelled to nine early in the fourth, the Jazz again showed why they’re considered one of the most resilient teams in the league.&nbsp;

A Potter bucket started a 9-2 run as Utah cut the deficit to two at the midway point of the quarter, forcing a Nuggets timeout and igniting the Vivint Arena crowd. The Jazz kept coming, taking a one-point lead with just under three to play following two free throws by Juan Toscano-Anderson.

Agbaji would then seal the deal for Utah, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to push the lead to five before hitting two free throws with 11 seconds left as Utah pulled out the win.&nbsp;

“Overall our defense was great,” Hardy said. “We wanted to try and make them play a different style, and our guys were into it. … Tons of guys stepped up tonight. I’m really proud of the guys. ... I can't stress how impressive it is when you’re told these games didn’t matter.”

“Now it feels a little more full circle. … You get the improbable win at the end of the year as well,” he added. 

Potter had his best game in a Jazz uniform, dropping his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Fontecchio added 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists off the bench. Azubuike added eight points and 11 rebounds.&nbsp;

The Jazz close the season on Sunday with a matinee showdown against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN.

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"A Little More Full Circle" | Utah Upsets First-Place Denver Behind Career-Highs From Agbaji and Samanic

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