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When speaking with reporters following Utah’s 130-116 victory over the Lakers on Friday night, Jazz head coach Will Hardy gave his opening statement about the game.
He praised his team for their resiliency and their ability to space and execute on offense. He spoke of Lauri Markkanen’s two-way play and Mike Conley’s ability to take over in the fourth quarter.
But then, before he answered reporter’s questions, Hardy had to dole out praise to one more player.
“Somebody that stands out, in particular, is Nickeil Alexander-Walker coming in at the end of the third quarter when the momentum is not necessarily in our favor,” Hardy said. “He hadn’t played all night, and he came in and delivered for us, played great minutes to kind of stem the tide and let some guys sit on the bench and rest for a few minutes.”
What makes NAW’s night so special was that he saw the court for just eight minutes — but he made the most of them. He finished with six points, one rebound, and a +10 rating.
After sitting for the entire first half and most of the third quarter, Hardy had no choice but to put in NAW at one of the most critical times of the game. Utah’s 16-point lead early in the third quarter had dwindled to just two, 97-95, with under a minute to play.
Conley was on his regular rest schedule, Jordan Clarkson had four fouls, and Collin Sexton had just played 11 minutes straight. All three players were going to be needed in the pivotal fourth quarter, so Hardy, hoping to buy time for them to get rested, inserted NAW.
On his first possession, NAW took a pass from Rudy Gay and finished strong at the rim, drawing a foul. He knocked down the free throw as Utah went into the fourth leading 100-95 and, most importantly, with momentum.
“Credit to Nickeil for being ready and coming in and making big plays to end the third and had us going,” Markkanen said.
Early in the fourth quarter and still in the game, NAW drilled a big shot that silenced the crowd in Crypto.com Arena after it looked like the Lakers were going to regain momentum.
Following a Troy Brown Jr. three-pointer that cut Utah’s lead to five, Jarred Vanderbilt gathered in an offensive rebound and found NAW waiting on the wing. Without hesitation, NAW caught the ball and fired, drilling the three-pointer and giving the Jazz some breathing room.
“The way Nickeil came in at the end of the third quarter, after having not played all night, it was huge for our team,” Hardy said. “Those minutes he played helped us stem the tide, and it’s a testament to how we’ve been doing this all season as a group.”
While it may just have been a little under eight minutes of playing time, NAW’s minutes were arguably the most vital in the game and helped turn a close game into a resounding victory over another playoff-contending team.
Utah returns to action on Sunday night when they face the LA Clippers at 8 p.m. MST. The Jazz then come home to face the Lakers on Monday night — click HERE for tickets.
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