FINAL: PHILLY 104 | UTAH 94
Kicking off Jazz – Sixers for the Salt Lake City Summer League, the Jazz surged to an early lead. As the game entered the late stages of the second quarter, however, the momentum started to shift.
The momentum shifted when the 76ers made several runs to trim the deficit. The Jazz got blocked near the rim while Chris Morris, on the Jazz broadcast (an alum of the 95-98 Jazz teams), talked about Walker Kessler and how he made his presence known on defense last season.
The Jazz kept shooting 3s, and Keyonte George got one to go on a great hustle for a rebound after the first missed corner 3 by one of the bench players. Keyonte’s hustle helped stop a Sixers 8-0 run.
As the Jazz struggled to contain dribblers and stop penetration, the 76ers started moving the ball and using up-tempo to get open three-point looks, and they knocked down their shots to close the gap. The Sixers cut the deficit to 5 with 2:40 left in the second quarter.
Luka Smalliac played physically to prevent some scoring inside until the dam broke, and the points poured in late in the 2nd quarter. The Sixers continued to pressure the Jazz and tied the game with about twenty seconds remaining. On the final Jazz possession of the half, Johnny Juzang tipped the ball to Luka where he picked up the foul and sunk his free throws to put the Jazz up two.
In the second half, the Jazz ran their second unit quite a bit more. Keyonte George, the 16th pick in this year’s draft and a player who many believe is the Jazz point guard of the future, saw fewer minutes. He showed out in the first half, and the Jazz wanted to give other players a chance.
For the Sixers, Javonte Smart showed out and made his presence felt. It appears he’s making a push to get Nick Nurse and the Sixers staff to give him a chance at a roster spot.
Overall, the Sixers tightened up their shooting in the second half. The Jazz offense suffered without George and Ochai Agbaji. The Sixers pulled ahead and won comfortably by double digits.
