Utah Jazz hold their nerves in the clutch to edge out Philadelphia 76ers 102 – 99: NBA Recap
Playing at home on Friday night, Utah Jazz crossed the finish line first in a hard fought game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both sides played some good basketball but in the end Utah came up with the goods, final score 102 –
99, to the delight of a packed Energy Solutions Arena.
Derrick Favors was the top man for Utah as he netted a team high 20 points while Devon Harris finished a close second with 19. Paul Millsap had a productive double-double with 14 rebounds and the same number of points and Gordon
Hayward also added 15.
Jrue Holiday was the pick of the bunch for the 76ers with a game high 22 points. Louis Williams continued to impress in the season and provided the impact from the bench yet again to provide 20 valuable points that helped the Jazz
sustain pressure. Andre Iguodala was solid for his 16 points while Spencer Hawes chipped in with a double-double at 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Utah might have raced to a 5-1 start but the first quarter belonged to the visitors. The Sixers turned it on in the first period by piling on 29 points. The Jazz weren’t able to match Philadelphia’s intensity despite the crowd
waving them on and finished 7 points adrift at 22.
The second quarter though told a different story. Determined not to be outdone on their home court, a resilient Jazz side came out all guns blazing to take the game by the scruff of the neck. The defence did its part in slowing
the Sixers down a little, but it was the offence that led the fight back for Utah. At one point down by double-digits, the Jazz scorched the Sixers with 31 points in the frame and finished the half on top at 53 – 51.
The Jazz came out of the interval looking to build on their lead but Philadelphia had other ideas. The 76ers matched Utah most of the way and were back in the lead heading into the 4th quarter at 73 – 71.
The final quarter started with 5 Utah points without a reply, but the period, just like the game, was a cliff-hanger throughout. Both sides traded shots and neither refused to back down as the game went right down to the wire.
Nerves started to show when Philadelphia brought the gap down to a single point with only 2:34 left on the clock. The Jazz though held on down the stretch thanks largely to their execution on offence and the game ended at 102 – 99 to the home team.
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