Shorthanded Jazz Fall To Raptors Despite Valiant Effort
Jan 7, 2022, 7:50 PM | Updated: 8:03 pm
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – A ragtag roster of Utah Jazz players gave the Toronto Raptors everything they could handle but ultimately fell short in a 122-109 loss.
Eric Paschall scored 29 points to lead the Jazz while Elijah Hughes added a career-high 26 but were outdueled by Fred VanVleet who scored 37 points in his first career triple-double for Toronto.
The Jazz led by as much as 17 but were doomed by 21 turnovers to snap their 10-game road win streak.
First Quarter
The Jazz came out with a terrific amount of energy, led by Hughes who knocked down a pair of early threes.
However, it was the play of Paschall that carried the Jazz through the quarter. The veteran scored 17 points to open the game and truly dominated the Raptors’ defense.
Big quarter by EP 😤 @epaschall #TakeNote #UTAvsTOR https://t.co/FB0Ru3U5JV
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 8, 2022
The Jazz also got a nice contribution from newcomer Danuel House who scored eight points in the first quarter including two made threes.
After one, the Jazz led the Raptors 40-25.
Second Quarter
Paschall’s hot start didn’t carry over to the second quarter, but Hughes and Jared Butler carried the offense.
Hughes scored five points while Butler added seven points on 2-3 shooting and the Jazz were able to fend off the more experienced Raptors team with a mixture of hot shooting and energy.
.@epaschall ➡️ @udoka35 💪#TakeNote #UTAvsTOR https://t.co/zkz0fR4t9D
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 8, 2022
Toronto happened to have a very poor shooting half knocking down just 34 percent of their field-goal attempts and 19 percent of threes.
At the break, the Jazz led the Raptors 62-49.
Third Quarter
Paschall opened the second half like he did the first scoring 10 points in the quarter to raise his total to 27.
However, both he and Butler found themselves in foul trouble which stalled the offense and allowed the Raptors to get out and run.
💪 EP 💪@epaschall with two-handed 🔨#TakeNote #UTAvsTORhttps://t.co/dvVn34wN2e
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 8, 2022
Fred VanVleet scored 17 straight points for the Raptors during the quarter to erase the Jazz lead and had 33 points going into the fourth quarter.
After three, the Jazz trailed the Raptors 94-92.
Fourth Quarter
Over time, the Raptors’ talent and experience were too much for the young Jazz roster who couldn’t keep up with Toronto’s depth.
As the Jazz wore down they turned the ball over far too often and the Raptors made them pay with easy baskets going the other direction.
👀 @elijahhughes4_ threw this one down ⬇️#TakeNote #UTAvsTORhttps://t.co/dp6sWaKxi8
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 8, 2022
Hughes continued his strong play finishing with 26 points while Paschall added 29 but it wasn’t enough for the makeshift roster.
The Jazz fell to the Raptors 122-108 to snap their 10-game road win streak.