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SALT LAKE CITY — There was a microscope on Walker Kessler on Wednesday. That was because of his own doing.
In the first quarter, Kessler had 6 points, four rebounds and six blocks. Naturally, the thought started to creep in: Could this finally be the time the Jazz's regular-season triple-double drought comes to an end?
After the electric start, it seemed all eyes were on Kessler to see if he could accomplish the elusive feat.
How did things end?
Well, he didn't quite get the triple-double (he finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks), but he did something that was probably far more important to him: He helped push the Jazz to a win. The rookie fueled a late 9-0 run to help the Jazz defeat the Toronto Raptors 131-128 Wednesday at Vivint Arena.
Utah was down 105-104 when Kessler put his stamp on the game for the final time. He had a block on one end (his seventh of the night), and ran down and delivered a two-handed slam on the other.
On the next Utah possession, Kessler grabbed two offensive rebounds and put it in for a layup. Then, he kicked it to Lauri Markkanen for a 3-pointer to give Utah a 113-105 lead. That gave Utah enough separation for it to hold on down the stretch.
So was he aware of the triple-double push?
"I told you in the first quarter," said Markaknen as he turned to Kessler on the podium.
So, yes, he knew. But so did the Raptors, or at least they knew how effective he had been near the basket. So instead of constantly attacking the rim, they settled for jumpers or dribbled out of the paint. That made it hard to pick up the rest of the blocks, but it still made a massive impact on the Jazz winning.
"When they dribble out like that … I kind of just shade. Just imagine me like a cardboard cutout. That's about what I am on a simple level," Kessler deadpanned.
He knew about the triple-double chase, but he was much more concerned about Utah getting the win.
"I knew it was a possibility," Kessler said. "But I'm someone who I play my best basketball when I just worry about impacting the game and winning. So you kind of try to just push that to the side and just do what it takes to win."
Funny enough, though, Toronto had a triple-double on its side. Fred VanVleet finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, showing once again that the stat-line is not that much of a rarity unless you wear a Jazz jersey.
Markkanen had 28 points and 13 rebounds, putting a nice bow to his All-Star campaign. The All-Star reserves will be announced on Thursday, with Markkanen a near lock to be named to the team. He went 7-of-13 from the field on Wednesday in a customary hyper-efficient night for the star forward.
"We've seen a bunch of these from Lauri," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I feel like it's not one thing; it's a couple of 3s, his teammates find him for a few. He's able to find his way to the free-throw line by driving the ball physically. We used him as a screener a lot tonight, and he did a good job of mixing popping and rolling."
Jordan Clarkson added 23 points and five assists, and Mike Conley had 19 points and eight assists for Utah in the win.
The Jazz improved to 27-26 and moved above .500 for the first time since Dec. 30.
It's been much longer, however, since Carlos Boozer had Utah's last regular season triple-double (Feb. 13, 2008) — a streak that continued after Kessler's early threat. His impact was greater than the seven blocks, though.
"You can probably find 10-15 other shots that he alters or that guys don't even take," Hardy said. "He's starting to get the reputation around the league where guys see him and they sort of veer off and go the other way. So he's been huge for us. I think his growth, his confidence has been something that we're really proud of as a group."
