At the very start of the last quarter against Brooklyn, Isaiah Collier against a 3-point attempt from Keon Johnson. He recovers the ball, plays the transition and even goes so far as to dunk. Except that the fall is harder, with his head hitting the floor. The Jazz rookie then remains on the ground and will bleed from the nose and mouth.
“From what I saw, it was violent. Isaiah is tough so when he’s down for a while it worries me,” comments his coach Will Hardy, reassured afterwards. “As soon as we hear that we have to place a player in the concussion protocol and that there is blood, it’s scary. »
“I didn’t think he was going to try the block but I knew if he did, then I was going to hang on to the circle,” says the player, with the risk of tipping over when you let go of the hoop. “I don’t know what happened, but I fell on my face. It hurt but it’s okay. »
A tense moment with Collin Sexton…
It was Brice Sensabaugh who shot the free throw, because Isaiah Collier had gotten the foul with his dunk. Examined, he was allowed to return to the floor. But not yet with his head in the right place one could say because he is going to commit a big mistake in the final seconds.
There are less than thirty seconds left and the two teams are tied when the Jazz grabs a rebound. Collin Sexton, free, asks for the ball from Drew Eubanks, who has just taken the rebound. The pivot finally gives it to the rookie. When he brings up the ball, the latter exchanges with his teammate, who always demands to inflate it.
The seconds count down and, as he has not passed midfield, the referees whistle for an eight-second violation which gives the ball back to Brooklyn…
The former Cleveland man is furious and the discussion between the two continues on the bench. Fortunately for them, the Nets did not score before the end of regulation time and the two teams went into overtime.
-…before the winning shot
A chance for the playmaker to catch up. The Nets then have a point in advance and a foul to give with 6.4 seconds remaining, when Utah throws in the game. Isaiah Collier is served, overtakes Nic Claxton and goes to score a layup. “I should have made a mistake. Jordi Fernandez told us during the timeout, so I should have done it. It’s that simple”laments the inside of the Nets.
The rookie is thus decisive in the best match of his young career since he finishes with 23 points (personal record) at 9/16 shooting including 3/6 at 3-pts, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while everything could have stopping at the start of the last act, after his heavy fall.
“He’s a good player and the numbers show it: he played a complete match”rejoices Will Hardy. “He did a lot of good things and not just shots. He made 3-point baskets, that’s very good, but he was in the circle, played the transitions, set the rhythm. Without obviously forgetting his layup at the end. »
| Isaiah Collier | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | To | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2024-25 | UTH | 30 | 20 | 35.0 | 19.6 | 56.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 4.1 |
| Total | 30 | 20 | 35.0 | 19.6 | 56.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 4.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
