INGLEWOOD, Calif. — No Lauri Markkanen, no Keyonte George, no Kevin Love, no Jusuf Nurkić, no Ace Bailey.
The Utah Jazz were missing the majority of their top scorers and most of their size heading into Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, so it’s not surprising that the Clippers came away with a 118-101 victory over the Jazz.
But the Clippers needed a 20-point fourth quarter from Kawhi Leonard in order to break open the score because prior to that, the Jazz had been right there in a game in which there were eight lead changes.
The biggest reason the Jazz were staying in the fight was Kyle Anderson.
For the first time since Jan. 27, 2023, Anderson scored more than 20 points. He finished the night against L.A. with 22 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks off the bench.
“K.A. played great,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “He’s a really good ball handler, so you can put him in a bunch of different spots.
“I thought he did a good job of beating his man one-on-one few times, did a good job playing in the pocket, had a couple of nice cuts, so it was a variety of things that made him successful, but that’s who Kyle is. He’s always been a really smart, crafty player on the offensive side.”
And on a night when the Jazz were lacking in not only scoring and size, they were also lacking in experience in a game against some of the most experienced players in the NBA — Leonard, James Harden, Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum.
So Anderson’s presence and experience were welcomed alongside teammates Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski, Walter Clayton Jr. and Cody Williams — the young core that made up nearly the entirety of the Jazz’s available roster.
“Kyle has been in so many situations. He’s played in the playoffs, he’s played on a couple of different teams, he’s played some different roles, so obviously there’s experience,” Hardy said.
“There’s an understanding of who he’s playing against. He knows personnel. I’m really happy for Kyle that he turned in that game. Obviously he hasn’t gotten what he has wanted this year, but it’s a credit to him for staying ready.”
It’s true that Anderson had hoped for more playing time, but he’s been trying his best to use his time wisely both in helping the younger players develop, but also trying to improve himself for whatever opportunity is around the corner.
“Just treating it like it’s the summertime,” Anderson said. “Just really getting to work, staying after shootaround, working hard before the game, support my teammates and going from there.”
The Jazz continue their four-game road trip with a stop in San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.