Tale of Two Halves: Jazz Come Back to Defeat Wizards

Clarkson was a big ingredient to Utah’s comeback in the capital, writes Jacob Gochnour. (Stephen Gosling via espn.com)

The Utah Jazz cemented their recent dominance during their 11-point victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon, 127-116.

The victory was Utah’s ninth in a row, and legitimized the recent winning stretch because they did it without star Donovan Mitchell, who sat out Sunday’s game due to illness. Throughout the season the Jazz have been so reliant on Mitchell both offensively and defensively. He scores 24.2 points a game, averages 4.4 assists and rebounds per a game and he adds a special spark to the Jazz team. How would this team be able to survive without his leadership and swagger? They fared pretty well, even though this game had a very different feel before and after halftime.

The Tale of the First Half

With both Mitchell and his backcourt mate Mike Conley sitting, Emanuel Mudiay started the game alongside Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale. The team evidently had a tough time adjusting to Mitchell’s absence and the Wizard’s opened the game shooting 61.7% from the field in the first twenty-four minutes. A formula for disaster in the first half. The Wizards managed to get to the basket by back cutting behind Gobert and finishing at the rim. The Wizard’s also knocked down seemingly every midrange jump shot they took and managed to finish with an impressive 66 points in the first half.

On the contrary, the Jazz struggled to work the ball around. The best 3-point shooting team in the league struggled from behind the arc, making only four of their first 18 attempts (22.2%) from downtown. Utah still managed to put up 55 points thanks to Bogdanovic’s 22 points in the first half, which he converted on only 14 attempts.

Despite the impressive offensive play in the first half by the Wizards, the best thing the Jazz did in this game was hang around, allowing them to huddle up in the locker room and return for a completely different story in the second half.

The Tale of the Second Half

Jazz coach Quin Snyder must have made some major adjustments in the locker room during halftime because the remaining two quarters were a different story. The Jazz shot 6-for-12 from the 3-point line and held the Wizards to only 39 percent from the field in the second half.

With Utah missing a couple of star guards, Jordan Clarkson answered the bell by scoring 17 points in the second half, shooting almost 60 percent. Comparably impressive to his scoring was his ability to command and run the offense by attack the Wizards’ defense and creating opportunities for other players. Exhibit A:

You guys know what to do ⬇️

⭐️https://t.co/3cLW8ZGjpE ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/sbbMjsaUSg

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 12, 2020

Jordan was fantastic down the stretch, never allowing the Wizards to get back on top.

Gobert agrees: “He made some huge plays, through the whole game, but especially at the end, getting to the rim, getting fouled, finding the open way, he did a tremendous job.”

Clarkson was not only vital to success in this win, but he has been an integral part of the Jazz’s impressive winning streak. Ever since the Jazz acquired Clarkson in a trade just before Christmas, they have yet to lose a game.

The Jazz got back in front with a 15-0 scoring run, started by O’Neale’s 3-pointer with 8:08 remaining in the third quarter. Disruptive defense allowed an opportunity for the Jazz to claw their way back and finish out the quarter, outscoring the Wizards 38-25 in that third frame. And the rest is history.

Gobert was a force in the game. He had 21 points and 14 rebounds, despite getting just one shot attempt up in the first half. He helped seal the game with three consecutive dunks down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Bojan finished with 31 points in the game and all five of the Jazz starters ended with double digit points. Clarkson wound up with 23 total points after his big second half.

The victory moved the Jazz into first place in the Northwest Division and second in a loaded Western Conference, but they didn’t stay there long. Just hours later, the Denver Nuggets beat the L.A. Clippers to pull even with the Jazz, and retook the No. 2 spot by virtue of a better record in divisional games. Utah and Denver have yet to meet in the regular season, and their four matchups will go a long way to sorting out the top of the West.

For now, the Jazz proved that they can win games even without their offensive star. They showed resilience and versatility on the offensive end.

The Jazz continue their road trip this Tuesday, when they’ll visit the Brooklyn Nets. A win in Barclays Center would extend Utah’s winning streak to double digits.