Jazz rookies 'can't ask for better game' to get first crack at NBA in win over Clippers

HONOLULU — When Kris Dunn walked out to the court at SimpliFi Arena ahead of Sunday's game, he was taken aback.

Nearly every one of the 10,300 seats was filled at the University of Hawaii, and they were already making their voices heard.

"Yeah, I was actually shocked," Dunn said. "I was, like, 'Wow, there's a lot of people.' Usually you don't get that in a preseason game."

Something else you don't get in the preseason is a crowd living and dying off every made and missed shot down the stretch.

The Jazz didn't get a soft start to the preseason. Sure, the result didn't actually matter — a 101-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers — but don't tell that to the Hawaiian fans that don't often get a chance to see an NBA game in person.

"The crowd got into it," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "Who knew there were this many Clippers fans in Hawaii, but here they are."

That made for a fun environment — and also a crash course for Utah's youngsters. The Jazz closed the tight game with a combination that included rookies Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks.

"Just getting your feet wet. Honestly, you can't ask for a better first game, a close one," Dunn said. "We call it adversity. Adversity hits you, how do you respond? They got a little bit of everything."

Hendricks, who didn't check in until the start of the fourth quarter, finished with 3 points and four rebounds. He connected on his first shot — a step back 3-pointer, no less — in the win.

George, meanwhile, finished with 10 points and five assists in a team-high 25 minutes, and was part of Hardy's initial first half rotation. And that meant going toe-to-toe with some of the game's best. Talk about baptism by fire.

"He was against some high talent on the other side going in the second group," Dunn said. "You see Kawhi (Leonard), Paul George, Norman Powell. You see the other guys as your first game, it's gonna be a little bit of a welcome moment, but I think he handled himself well."

There were times the young guard looked visibly frustrated — he went 2-for-9 and had three turnovers after all — but at those times, Hardy was quick to give an encouraging voce and for his veteran teammates to huddle around him in support.

"I mean, he's 19, just calm down, play your game. He got a lot of emotions," Dunn said. "First game against Kawhi and Paul George, I mean, I know there were a lot of emotions running through his mind. He wants to play well, as he should, and he's got a long journey ahead of him."

Dunn helped him along that journey Sunday. It was the George and Dunn backcourt that pushed the Jazz to victory.

Dunn didn't play in the first half (he Jazz went with the backcourt of Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker to start the game, alongside the expected frontline of Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and John Collins), but was near flawless in the second half. He finished with 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting and five assists, and made just about every right decision to close out the game.

That included finding a nice rhythm with George to close out the game.

"I just try to make his job become easy, trying to get a good looks to make him feel comfortable," Dunn said. "And I think we gelled well towards the end."

Sunday served as a great starting point for the Jazz, even if it left most of the 10,000-plus fans a bit disappointed in the result.

Related topics