The Utah Jazz opened preseason with a 109–97 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, giving rookie Darryn Peterson his first chance to settle into NBA preseason action.
Peterson finished with three points on 1-for-5 shooting, including 0-for-2 from three-point range. His shot wasn’t falling, but he found other ways to contribute: six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes.
A first step, not a verdict
Five shots in a preseason debut are a small sample, not a verdict on a rookie finding his footing. Peterson has time to learn Utah’s offense, build chemistry with his teammates and find his rhythm without affecting the regular-season standings.
The scoring will draw attention, but his work on the glass and contributions as a passer and defender gave him something to build on.
Utah finds scoring elsewhere
The Jazz had enough offense around him to handle Denver. Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 17 points, while Keyonte George added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Blake Hinson supplied 14 points off the bench, including four made threes, and Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 11 points.
Utah made 15 three-pointers to Denver’s 11 and held a 54–47 rebounding advantage. Those edges helped the Jazz win by 12 despite shooting 42 percent from the field.
Julian Strawther led the Nuggets with 14 points, and Aaron Gordon added 12. Nikola Jokić scored three points, handed out seven assists and grabbed three rebounds in 15 minutes. He attempted just one shot.
Something to carry forward
Utah leaves with a preseason win. Peterson leaves with experience and a few useful contributions beyond scoring. For a rookie in his first preseason game, there is room to make mistakes, get comfortable and carry those positives into the next outing.
And if it makes Peterson feel any better, Jokić had three points, too.
Source reporting: SLC Dunk and The Salt Lake Tribune.
