Bigs Dominate as Utah Outlasts Phoenix

Gobert and Favors supplied the Jazz with 36 points, Mitchell had 26. (Game still)

Being the favored or better team isn’t always enough, as the Jazz have experienced. Any team can beat you on any given night as evidenced by the Phoenix Suns’ upset over Golden State just a few days ago. For stretches, it looked like the Jazz would be the next victim to the Suns’ upset special, but the bigs preserved down low to make sure a notch went into the win column in Utah’s behalf. With the 114-97 win, the Jazz moved into the 7th spot in the Western Conference playoff race. 

The Bigs

The Jazz bigs, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, had their way early, scoring nine of the first 12 points. In fact, Favors had a hand in all 12 Jazz points to start the game, with five points (including a three!) and three assists. He wanted a bit of history, too, as in that early run, Favs also passed Carlos Boozer for 13th all-time in the Jazz scoring books. 

Those first few minutes were foreshadowing as it was Favors and Gobert who anchored their way to a Jazz victory. Favors finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while Gobert had 18 points and 20 rebounds. The Jazz are now 8-0 when Gobert collects 20+ rebounds. As a team, 58 points came in the paint as the bigs set that tone and the Jazz outrebounded Phoenix 52-35. 

Bad Defense, Good Defense, Repeat

After lapsing on defense in the first quarter, a 27-25 deficit, the Jazz used a strong second quarter to pull away. The bigs continued to work down low, but ball movement really made a difference to help the Jazz take a 28-16 quarter. Raul Neto was a source of goodness off the bench during that span to help the juices flow in the right direction. Dante Exum, the de facto backup point guard, was either brushing off rust or quick to the bench via a short leash, and couldn’t make a difference in the game. Instead, Neto popped off the bench for five assists in 11 minutes and a nice +9 rating on the court. 

However, the third quarter mirrored the first as the Suns were scoring in the chest of the Jazz’s team defense. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored seven quick, fairly easy buckets while star guard Devin Booker surged in transition to grab easy buckets or dishes to runners. At one point, Phoenix rattled off a 12-2 run to make it a ballgame. All told, in those twelve minutes, the Jazz gave up 32 points. As the Suns mounted their comeback in the third quarter, narrowing the lead to as close as two, it was as Booker and the Suns ran. All told, the Suns had 21 fast break points, compared to just 12 for Utah. 

It’s easy to compare the games of Booker and Donovan Mitchell as they are high-volume scorers who can create with the ball, but Booker does hold the advantage when it comes to working in transition. In fact, David Locke pointed out on his broadcast that Booker is in the 60th percentile with regards to efficiency in transition while Donovan Mitchell is only in the 9th. It’s how Booker gets easier buckets and gets to the foul line, which is something Mitchell should emulate in his years to come. 

For the game, the two put up solid, and comparable, numbers. Booker finished with a game-high 27 points and six assists on 9/20 shooting, 2/4 from deep. Mitchell, on the other hand and holding the dub, finished with 26 points, five rebounds and two assists on 10/18 shooting, 4/6 from deep. 

While the 1st and 3rd quarters mirrored each other in a negative way, thankfully the 2nd and 4th quarters mimicked each other, too as the Jazz closed convincingly. The offense put up 36 points in the final stanza, while holding Phoenix to just 22 points in that quarter. Mitchell, specifically, had nine in the quarter to make sure Phoenix never got back within single digits. 

Side Note

In light of recent comments by fans, Russell Westbrook, and the media, some Jazz fans are taking matters into their own hands. With conversations about race or domestic violence peppering publication websites or twitter feeds, a small group wants to show Jazz players, opposing players, the media, and basically whoever, that people are committed to change and goodness. A GoFundMe has been initiated to raise $25,000, the same amount that Westbrook was fined, to be donated to the Human Rights Campaign. 

As the site says, it’s time to change the narrative and show how most try to do right. Specifically, the campaign is to show that Utah isn’t racist or mean-spirited by nature.  To donate, or at least learn more, follow this link.