SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a promising showing from Ace Bailey in his first career start, the Utah Jazz dropped their third straight game, and the sixth of their last seven, after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-113.
Keyonte George scored 27 points to lead the Jazz, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 35.
Related: Jazz vs. Timberwolves blog
Ace Bailey Makes First Start, How Did He Play?
With a slew of injuries in the Jazz’s frontcourt, rookie Ace Bailey made his first NBA start and proved he was up to the task.
The fifth overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft got off to a slow start, missing his first three shots, but found his rhythm in the second half, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals in a career-high 28 minutes.
“I thought Ace did great,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I think for the most part, he played within the system offensively, and his burst and athleticism are very evident, not just off the dribble, but cutting, crashing the glass. He gives us a really good lift.”
Bailey had several impressive plays in the fourth quarter, including a difficult one-foot fade-away jumper, and a reverse dunk in transition.
“I feel like I played to my full capability,” Bailey said. “I mean, went out there, I played hard, fought for rebounds, made assists, cuts.”
Bailey was most effective on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end, creating second-chance opportunities.
With the Indiana Pacers in town Tuesday and eight of their next 10 games at Delta Center, fans should expect to see Bailey remain in the starting lineup.
“In no way is the plan to send him back to the bench,” Hardy said. “We just see what happens over the next chunk of games and evaluate them.”
Why Are The Jazz Shooting So Poorly?
Heading into Monday’s game, the Jazz ranked among the NBA’s worst three-point shooting teams.
Although they attempted the 12th-most threes in the league, they made the ninth-fewest at the third-lowest percentage.
Are the Jazz simply missing shots, or are they choosing the wrong ones?
“I feel like we’ve had some really good segments of generating good threes that haven’t gone in,” head coach Will Hardy said. “I think we’ve had some moments where we’ve not gotten enough pressure on the paint. That’s a big thing for our team right now.”
The @utahjazz aren’t shooting well.
Will Hardy offered his thoughts on the team’s poor three point shooting before facing the @Timberwolves. #TakeNote | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/X5ttDf2uwu
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 11, 2025
With Walker Kessler sidelined for the season, the Jazz lost their most reliable interior scorer. Isaiah Collier’s return could help increase paint touches, but the team still needs a consistent way to collapse opposing defenses.
The Jazz started the season shooting relatively well, but their three-point percentage plummeted during a five-game road trip without Kessler.
Over that stretch, the roster averaged fewer than ten made threes per game on more than 35 attempts—a recipe for disaster in today’s NBA.
Only rookie Walt Clayton Jr. shot better than 33 percent from deep during the trip. Meanwhile, several key contributors, including Lauri Markkanen, fell below the 30 percent mark.
“Lauri shoots a lot of threes on the move, and I think he’s missed some that he historically has made more of,” Hardy admitted. “So overall, I’m kind of neither — I’m not super pleased with every three we’ve taken, but I also don’t think that we’ve taken all bad ones, or haven’t gotten good ones. I think we’ve had some poor shooting that’s compounded on itself.”
Against the Timberwolves, the Jazz shot 17-52 from three for 32 percent.
Anderson, Hendricks Not Expected To Miss Extended Time
Without Kessler, the Jazz already faced an uphill battle against Minnesota. Their frontcourt depth took another blow before tipoff when Kyle Anderson and Taylor Hendricks were ruled out.
Anderson is dealing with lower back soreness, and Hendricks has hamstring soreness. Both became late scratches for Monday’s game.
“As of now, they’re day-to-day,” Hardy clarified.
Although neither player has logged significant minutes at center this season, both contribute at the four.
With Kessler sidelined, Kyle Filipowski has shifted from power forward to center, filling a role typically shared by Hendricks and Anderson.
Filipowski led the Jazz in plus-minus at +14 min 27 minutes off the bench, but recorded just seven points, three rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes.
The Jazz can manage short stretches without them, but a prolonged absence would further strain their already-thin frontcourt rotation.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
