Joe Ingles shooting pure fire in dramatic opening night for Utah Jazz

AUSSIE cult hero Joe Ingles has been touted as an All Star contender this season after he caught fire in Utah’s season-opener.

Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz defends against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

AUSSIE veteran Joe Ingles’ impressive season-opener has seen him touted as an All Star contender this season.

The 31-year-old has gone from NBA “average Joe” to a star of the competition in the past two years.

His heroics during the Jazz’s upset playoffs series win over Oklahoma City in last year’s playoffs series saw Ingles’ rise to a new level of stardom.

He showed in the Jazz’s season opening 123-117 win over Sacramento on Thursday (AEDT) that his hot form last season was no fluke.

Ingles lit-up the Kings in the first half in California, knocking down 17 points with three minutes still to play in the first half.

Joe Ingles is up to 17 PTS in the 1st half! #TeamIsEverything #KiaTipOff18 pic.twitter.com/ftdRbiN1Gb

— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2018

Having hit all three of his three-point attempts in the first half, Ingles was on track for a new career-high points haul. He set that record against the Thunder in last season’s playoffs when he knocked down 27 points.

The Kings finally found a way to shut him down in the second half, but that defensive pressure opened the door for Jazz star Donovon Mitchell to start dominating the game.

Last year’s rookie of the year nominee finished with a game-high 24 points.

Ingles finished the game with 22 points, six assists and four steals.

It was also a huge night for Aussie Dante Exum, who finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. Most notably, Exum also saw more than 26 minutes on court, closing out the game ahead of star guard Ricky Rubio, who had just 21 minutes on the floor.

The night belonged to Ingles, however, with the shooter’s first half performance sending out a warning to the rest of the western conference.

Joe Ingles, 2018 West All-Star, baby!

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) October 18, 2018

His form wasn’t lost on Aussie NBL star Andrew Bogut — or his retired netball star wife Renae Ingles.

Mr @Joeingles7 🔥🔥🔥

— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) October 18, 2018

🔥😍

— Renae Ingles (@RenaeIngles) October 18, 2018

The NBA is slowly getting used to losing its mind over Ingles’ scoring heroics, but many commentators were still blown away by the shooter’s hot streak.

Joe Ingles is burning it all down

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) October 18, 2018

JOE INGLES RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/PdaPbwikiU

— SLC Dunk Is Everything (@slcdunk) October 18, 2018

Joe Ingles last season played 2,578 minutes:

If he matches that total, and keeps this pace up, he’ll end the season with 2,434 points.

LeBron James lead the league last season with 2,251 points.

So yeah, Joe is well on his way to being the best player on the planet. https://t.co/yBICkWTcRo

— James McKern (@jLmcKern) October 18, 2018

One game Jazz over-reaction:
-Joe Ingles will get a statue.
-All my investment properties on Exum Island will pay off this year.
-AB has gone from player I never trusted to 😍.
-Donovan will struggle early & figure it out (wasn’t crazy about his summer, but he’ll be fine). pic.twitter.com/iMhqVukk3i

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) October 18, 2018

Joe Ingles might be the best catch and shooter player not on the Warriors in the entire league.

— Robert Gordon (@RobbieFingers) October 18, 2018

Joe Ingles is doing anything he wants on both ends of the court, my goodness.

— Morgan Ragan (@momoragan) October 18, 2018

I pray for a full season of aggressive Joe Ingles.

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) October 18, 2018

Ingles was re-signed by the Jazz in July, 2017, on a four-year deal reportedly worth $US52 million. His form since that signing shows the Jazz got him for a steal

Originally published as Joe Ingles shooting pure fire in dramatic opening night for Utah Jazz