Lauri Markkanen was the best scorer on the field after the Utah Jazz faced the Finnish club Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Markkanen scored 24 points, but 22 of them came in the opening period.
The Utah Jazz Lauri Markkanen had an excellent first two quarters against his former club the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Finn scored 22 points during the first half, i.e. half of the team’s 44 points.
After that, Markkanen almost completely disappeared from the game. He ended up scoring 24 points as Cleveland upset Utah 122-99. Markkanen’s score was still the highest in the match.
The Finn got into the Cavaliers by Evan Mobley to tight guard, but good defense wasn’t the only reason his powers disappeared.
In the second half of the match, Markkanen was able to throw only five situational throws, four times aiming for two points and once for a three. At the same time, for example, Utah’s back man by Jordan Clarkson the number of throws increased wildly. Clarkson shot 21 times in the game to collect 23 points.
Several supporters and journalists who followed the match particularly criticized Clarkson’s way of playing on social media.
– It’s really frustrating to watch these Jazz attacks without assists, which start as soon as they get a double-digit lead on their opponent. Sometimes Clarkson can bring them back into the game, but these attacks do not develop the team, ponder (you switch to another service) explained the match for the Ruutu streaming service Kristian Palotie.
Clarkson’s style of play, which emphasizes one-on-one situations leading to difficult throws, has also been discussed in the past in connection with Utah’s matches.
Read more about the topic: Why can’t Lauri Markkase, who is in top form, get the best out of him in decisive moments? Shawn Huff encourages his former teammate to be selfish
Markkanen turned the blame on himself
NBA reporters also caught Markkanen’s sharp drop in ball touches when the Finn marched in Cleveland in front of the press (you will switch to another service).
When Markkanes was asked how he could get more throwing situations for himself, maybe even demand the ball more, the Finn turned the blame on himself instead of his teammates.
– I’m still learning how to get passes and where I can receive them. I try to play attacks as a team and I think that’s the best part of our team. I mean that we can and know how to move the ball. Each of us knows how to make decisions in the direction of attack, Markkanen described at the press conference.
– But yes, I’m still trying to learn ways to get the ball more. Especially so that I could get the ball to good places when I have “speed on”. We are still developing as a team and trying to figure out each other’s game, he reflected.
According to Markkanen, Cleveland did play a tougher defensive game in the second half.
– We still… and therefore I too, forced solutions a couple of times in our attacks. We also have to play as a team in the second half. Today our attack was not as good as it could have been. We had dug ourselves a hole in the opening half and when we tried to save the game, we also went for overly ambitious solutions.
Markkanen’s statistics from the season have shown that Utah should play the ball more for him in the last quarters of the match. The decisive Finn is one of the most effective ends in the NBA, especially compared to how much he gets to throw in games.
The fans of the ex-club cheered
Markkanen played for the first time against his club Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Returning to Cleveland was a nice memory for him, even if the loss took away the best taste. Before the match Markkanen complained (you switch to another service)that the only sad thing is that his favorite restaurant was closed on both Sunday and Monday.
At the press conference, he thanked the Cleveland fans for their warm reception.
– The game was fun, even if I would have liked the end result to be different. It was nice to come back here for a visit. I heard how the fans shouted my name from the stands and also told me that they were happy to see me, he said with a smile.
– I chatted with several of my old game friends. It was also nice to see the team’s background people and other club employees. I have good memories of everyone, Markkanen said.
The Finn moved to Utah as part of the player trade with the star quarterback Donovan Mitchell transferred to Cleveland in exchange. Both, Markkanen and Mitchell, have played an excellent season in their teams. Mitchell was also Cleveland’s leading scorer in the Utah game, scoring 23 points.
You can watch part of Markkanen’s performances from aam’s news section below.