Hayward’s Dagger Downs Dallas

February 9th, 2016 | by Lucas Falk
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Prior to tonight’s clash with the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz were the second hottest team in the association thanks to a six game winning streak. The Mavericks, on the other hand, had been struggling as of late, losing six of their last 10. The streaking Jazz and the slumping Mavs were headed on a collision course with just two games separating the teams in the playoff picture. Salt City Hoops’ own Andy Larsen said it best in a tweet:

So what happens when a team on a hot streak meets a team in a slump with playoff implications? You get an OT thriller.

Quarter by quarter breakdown:

The Dallas Mavericks came out firing and it seemed like they couldn’t miss. But it wasn’t simply that the Mavericks were hitting tough shots, it’s that the Jazz gave them great opportunities. Early in the quarter, Zaza Pachulia drove into the paint on Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors leaves Dirk Nowitzki, one of the biggest Jazz killers of all time, wide open for three. Utah continued to go under screens, instead of chasing over, which allowed for open look after open look. Both Raul Neto and Favors picked up a couple of quick fouls and the Jazz found themselves in the penalty with over five minutes left to play in the quarter.

Additionally, Utah started off sloppy on the offensive end, turning the ball over a number of times. It wasn’t all bad for the Jazz in the first quarter, but they clearly dug themselves a hole.

End of 1st Quarter: Jazz 21 – Mavericks 29

It was more of the same from the Mavs early on, knocking down threes while the Jazz continued to play the screen incorrectly, but Trey Lyles was aggressive with Nowitzki guarding him and the Jazz stayed competitive. Utah picked up their defensive effort and eventually Dallas started to miss. The Jazz made a run at the end of the quarter to keep it close.

End of 2nd Quarter: Jazz 51 – Mavericks 58

Derrick Favors didn’t have a bucket in the first half, but he wasted no time once the second half started to get going. The Jazz were able to play better defense on the perimeter and force Dallas to operate more in the paint. Trevor Booker made his presence known on the offensive end with several effective energy plays. But it was Rodney Hood who carried the offense for the Jazz, having scored 19 points through three quarters. Gordon Hayward was a complete non-factor, on the other hand, as he didn’t score a single point.

The Jazz and the Mavericks traded baskets down the stretch, but Hood knocked down a buzzer beater to give Utah a boost heading into the fourth quarter.

End of 3rd Quarter: Jazz 78 – Mavericks 87

Then the fun started. Hayward and Favors decided they weren’t going to go quietly. Gordon began to be more aggressive, specifically as a facilitator and Derrick was the benefactor of the aforementioned aggressiveness. Favors ability to knock down shots led to this easy dunk for Gobert.

The real story, of course, was Hood who made shot after shot (if he wasn’t being fouled) but none was bigger than the shot that tied the game at the end of regulation.

End of Regulation: Jazz 110 – Mavericks 110

Naturally, this game went to overtime because I was writing the recap. Overtime was a roller coaster and can only be explained with some tweets.

The non-goaltending (or actually goaltending) on Hood’s layup. I’m still not sure what the rule is on this so I am not sure if it was ruled correctly. The call on the court ruled it a block shot.

But when it was all said and done…

Overtime: Jazz 121 – Mavericks 119

Overall thoughts:

  • Hood is amazing.
  • ZaZa is a scoundrel.
  • The Jazz don’t quit, ever.

The Jazz finally beat the Mavericks in Dallas for the first time since 2010 and have placed themselves in a great position for a playoff push.

 

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