The 2019-20 NBA season is officially back. On Thursday night, the Utah Jazz kicked off the action with an impressive 106-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. With a drop to 16, the Jazz struggled in the second half and held on to victory after Brandon Ingram’s late attempt from beyond the arc failed.
But while basketball is important, off-court action is also important. As expected, everyone on both teams knelt for the national anthem before the game. The players also warmed up in jerseys that read “Black Lives Matter,” and coaches from both teams wear special patches on their jerseys.
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to lead the Jazz with 23 points. His energy and ability to get into the paint was key to getting Utah back into the game. Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley added 20 points each. The pelicans were led by Brandon Ingram, who went by 23 points and eight rebounds.
social justice
Obviously, everyone was excited to see basketball again, but there are more important things in this country, and the players made it clear that they wanted to use this platform to continue fighting for change and spread its message. They did exactly that on Thursday night.
As expected, everyone on both teams knelt for the national anthem, while players wore shooting jerseys that said “Black Lives Matter” and coaches wore special patches on their jerseys that said “Trainers for Racial Justice.” Additionally, “Black Lives Matter” was painted in the middle of the court, and players used special slogans on their jerseys instead of their names.
Clarkson provides a boost
The Jazz traded for Jordan Clarkson in December, hoping it would provide him with a much-needed scoring boost from the bench. Before the season ended, he had been doing exactly that, contributing 15.8 points and shooting 35.6 percent from 3-point wickets. It seemed like a smart move for Utah, but it has taken on even more importance now that Bojan Bogdanovic is out for the rest of the season.
Bogdanovic underwent wrist surgery and will not play in Orlando. Those are 20 points per game that the Jazz must suddenly replace, and a large part of that burden will fall on Clarkson. In the first game, at least, he showed he could handle the load. Despite shooting 1-for-8 from 3, he led the team in scoring with 23 points, while adding five rebounds and three assists.
Their ability to get into the paint and create their own shot was crucial to Utah’s second half change as they battled a 16-point deficit. The Jazz are going to need him to keep it not only during these past seven games, but in the playoffs as well.
Zion looks good in limited minutes
A few hours before the game, it was still unclear if Zion Williamson was going to play. The rookie had to leave the bubble for a family matter earlier this month and only removed his new quarantine two days ago. He returned to the court for some practice, but the team has been understandably cautious after missing the first half of the season due to knee surgery.
In the end, New Orleans decided to let him play, but only in extremely limited minutes. They were so strict about it, in fact, that head coach Alvin Gentry didn’t bring Williamson back in the final minutes. That decision may have cost them the game, but Williamson understood their coach’s decision.
“He’s just giving me back the game,” said Williamson. “This is the NBA, these are the best players in the world. You want to feel comfortable. I don’t want to hurt my team any more than I helped.”
When on the floor, Williamson was explosive, scoring 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field, while also making what was perhaps the play of the game with a smooth pass behind his back. As opponents from across the league discovered, it’s almost impossible to stop on the edge.
Sloppy game
Each team played three scrimmages last week, but this was their first real game in more than four months, and it certainly looked like it because of stretching. Neither team shot the ball well from the outside, combining to go 19-of-65 from 3-point ground. And they fought to take care of the ball too, coinciding with each other with 20 turnovers each.
As teams get back into shape and get their rhythm back, and they become more comfortable playing in front of fans inside the bubble, those problems fade away. However, it will be interesting to see how long that process takes and if the teams will come back and shoot all cylinders before the playoffs.
