Utah Jazz head coach Brad Stevens said that the league's leading scorer, Jaylen Brown, will make his return coming off a suspension and he will be coming off the bench, for the first time in his career.
"Jaylen is a key part of our team and we are glad to have him back, but we are not gonna act like nothing happened. He violated team rules. He will play, but he will come off the bench for a game or two. He will start sooner or later. We definitely need Jaylen to end this losing streak. He will play his usual minutes, his minutes won't change. "
When Brown was approached about his thought on this, the forward had clearly changed his tune.
"I'm just glad to be back, it was a tough 6 days and I'm just happy to be with the guys again. There's no hard feelings towards coach, it was just a one time error in judgement. I just feel sorry for Miami, cause I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow."
"How many points will you score?"
"Oh I better not say, don't want to get in trouble again."
Brown looked disinterested on the bench, but once he checked in, it was all business.
Brown returns in style with 50, Jazz snap losing streak in OT
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MVP: He's back! Jaylen Brown returned from his suspension with a bang. Coming off the bench for the first time in his young career, Brown couldn't wait to check in, and once he did, the crowd wouldn't sit down. 24 points in 12 minutes in the first half, including a buzzer beating heave at the buzzer. He stayed hot in the second half with 16, but he missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer. In OT, he added 10 more points to finish with 50.
LVP: Xavier Henry was tasked with guarding Stanley Johnson and Jaylen Brown and he struggled to put it mildly. Brown had 50, Johnson added 18 in 22 minutes. In response, he had 12 points and 4 turnovers shooting 4-15 from the field.
X-Factor: Marcus Smart's minutes have seen a small decline as of late as his shooting numbers have dropped and with Brandon Jennings playing efficiently off the bench. But he had his best game in weeks. Playing alongside Brown, he got a lot of open looks and crashed the boards aggressively. He had 19 points, 8 boards and a bunch of other goodies, making 7-10 shots.
Nothing Jaylen loves more then grabbing the rebound and leading the break.
Brown gets first career triple-double, Jazz shoot 61%
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MVP: Meeting for the second time in 6 days, the Jazz sought payback against the Nuggets and this time, they brought Jaylen with them. Brown came off the bench again and just filled the stat sheet. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists with 3 steals in just 23 (!) minutes. Basically doing whatever he wanted on the court and sending a message that he wants to start again.
LVP: Jacob Cohen, the rookie C from IUPUI had just 2 points and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes. Anthony Davis and Nerlens taught the rookie a good lesson what the NBA is like.
X-Factor: Okben Olubay, who's been averaging 12.7 points this season, erupted for 38 points on 7-11 shooting from deep while helping out in other areas as well. He's efforts couldn't match the Jazz, but the Turkish guard showed he has some serious potential.
Brown goes for 40 as Jazz blow out LeBron, Clippers
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MVP: Brown talked a bit of trash early in the season about LeBron, saying he isn't all that good and is overrated defensively. Well, he certainly backed it up in their first meeting this season. Brown had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on 14-19 shooting, being guarded by LeBron.
LVP: Zach LaVine, the Clippers starting point guard, had 6 points and 1 assist on 2-7 shooting.
X-Factor - 22: The Jazz line-up of Jennings, Brown, Johnson, Diallo and Bosh led a 22-0 run in the second quarter to build a 20-point half-time advantage. Thanks to the good chemistry the second unit had with Brown and a big lead, no Jazz player other then Jaylen played more then 22 minutes.
George out-scored Brown and was better in the clutch.
George, Walker snap Jazz 11-game win streak
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MVP: Marcus Smart just came off a 10-steal effort against the Bucks, harassing thee Bucks point guards, but he was no match against Kemba Walker. Kemba went off for 39 points and 7 assists, leading a three-headed monster to take down the streaking Jazz. Kemba scored 6 points in the last minute to break a 108-108 tie and knocked down his free throws to go with his go-ahead bucket with 35 seconds left.
LVP: Even though his side won, Alex Len gets this nod. The Ukrainian big man played 28 minutes, but recorded no points and 4 rebounds during that time. He missed both of his shots from the floor.
X-Factor: 3 The Jazz had won 11 straight and many wondered, what would it take to take them down. As it turned out, it took 3 guys. Walker, George and Wayne Selden scored 93 points between them, making 64% of their shots.
I'm gonna post a recap tomorrow and add some behind the scenes inside to my team. With a lot of high-potential, young players, some guys want more touches and opportunities so I might make some changes to make it more interesting for me and you guys.
Diallo has impressed many with his hustle and energy.
Jazz drop second straight as Sixers beat them in OT.
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MVP: Kyrie Irving did attempt 36 shots and had 7 turnovers, but that will be forgotten, as he scored 11 points in OT out of the Sixers 13. The other two was an Evan Turner jumper, which Irving assisted. Uncle Drew also knocked down the go-ahead lay-up with 6.2 on the clock. On defense, he got switched onto Jaylen Brown and Brown went straight at him, but Irving shined again, stripping the ball clean for his seventh steal.
LVP: Stanley Johnson has been steady this year, carrying the load when Brown was suspended and always getting buckets off the bench. He did have 8 assists off the bench, but scored just 6 points on 2-5 shooting with 5 turnovers.
X-Factor: Cheick Diallo has had flashes of excellence off the bench. He's not a great shot-blocker like Noel, but with his scoring and energy tonight, Noel took a seat late in the game and in OT. Diallo had 23 points, a new career-high and worked well with Anthony Davis.
Cheick Diallo and Stanley Johnson will be inserted into the starting line-up for the Jazz upcoming match-up against the Kings.
Nerlens Noel and Malik Newman will be relegated to the bench.
Newman has seen his production, FG% and field goal attempts drop throughout the year. All of his numbers are down from his rookie season and he has been in trade rumors for a while.
Newman scored 12 points in the fourth after missing his first 3 shots when he checked in.
New line-up pays dividends as Jazz get back to winning ways.
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MVP: Anthony Davis seemed really comfortable playing with Cheick Diallo, as he had one of his better games of the season. The Brow had 24 points and 16 rebounds and didn't miss a shot. He was a perfect 9-9 from the field and 6-6 at the line. He also had 4 blocks. He's partner in crime, Diallo, had a solid debut as a starter with a double-double - 14 points and 10 rebounds.
LVP: Nerlens Noel didn't do too well with in his new role as a reserve. He had just 4 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes.
X-Factor: Malik Newman came off the bench for the first time in his career, but was the key player in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 15 in the fourth quarter. In that period, the Jazz out-scored the Kings by ten.
Glad to see your lineup change is working out. Noel struggled in that last game, but having a guy like him off the bench is a huge luxury. I'm thinking you guys are going all the way!
Johnson and Brown have shown god chemistry playing together.
Jazz end January with win #40
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MVP: Jaylen Brown was at it again, picking up another double-double with 35 points and 10 assists, pretty much locking up another Player of the Month award. The Jazz went 13-2 and the Jazz sit firmly top of the standings.
LVP: Markieff Morris went scoreless in 28 minutes missing all 3 of his shots. He did grab 7 rebounds, but not one member of the Suns could grab an offensive rebound while allowing 9. They were beat on the boards 45-32.
X-Factor: The new line-up has been playing great for the Jazz. Though Nerlens Noel had just 4 points for the second straight game, Malik Newman has emerged as an instant offense player off the bench, scoring 17. Stanley Johnson takes pressure off Jaylen Brown guarding the opposing teams best players. Johnson is a solid defender and the new role fits his skill-set much better and it allows Newman to focus on providing buckets off the bench.
Jaylen Brown lost out on the Player of the Month award to Kevin Durant, but beat the Thunder forward in overall votes for the All-Star game and the Jazz forward will start for the first time in his second All-Star Game. He received 1,700,352 votes, followed by LeBron James (1,502,234) and Andrew Wiggins (1,385,392).
Joining Brown on the West side are Derrick Rose (LAL, 7th app), Russell Westbrook (SAS, 7th app), LeBron James (LAC, 14th app) and Kevin Durant (OKC, 9th app). Who will start at C will be down to coach Brad Stevens, who will coach the side.
The East won't have a true C either. Leading the East in votes is Andrew Wiggins (WAS, 4th app). He will be joined by Kyrie Irving (PHI, 6th app), James Harden (ATL, 6th), Jabari Parker (CHA, 3rd app) and Blake Griffin (CLE, 7th app).
The reserves will be announced in a week. The Jazz hope to get a few more of their players into the big game, leading the league with their 40-7 record. Anthony Davis and Stanley Johnson are the top candidates, but Malik Newman and Marcus Smart have also been in the mix.
Thunder duo headline 3PT Shootout
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry will face off in the 3PT Shootout during All-Star Saturday Night. Curry has won the last two shootouts while Durant will make his first appearance since 2012. Competing for the crown will be Damian Lillard (CHI), Klay Thompson (PHX), Nikola Mirotic (LAL) and Terrence Ross (DET).
Terrence Ross was a member of the Jazz, but was traded for Brandon Jennings during the off-season.
Kelly Oubre looks to defend Dunk crown
Kelly Oubre will go for back-to-back Slam Dunk titles as he will be joined by Darryl Cartwright (MEM), Henry Hunter (HOU) and Bradford Hunter (OKC).
Bradford Hunter was drafted third overall by the Jazz in the last draft, but was traded for Stanley Johnson, a move that has benefited both sides.