Jazz 85 – Bucks 73

Quick reaction from Nick Smith:

Milwaukee Bucks

73

Final Recap | Box Score

85

Utah Jazz

	Paul Millsap, PF 6-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 12 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | 0 Mr. Do-It-All continues to be the rock of the team. Another solid, if unspectacular, night. Paul rebounded well & got some easy running/slashing layups. It’s the kind of thing you want to see if you’re a Millsap fan.
	Gordon Hayward, SG 5-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +7 Gordon is still playing more timid than most Jazz fans would like. He creates easy shots for others (sometimes at the detriment of his own opportunity). He came alive in the fourth quarter and showed some of the fire that has been lacking all season.
	Al Jefferson, C 10-17 FG | 6-9 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 26 PTS | +11 0 assists, but an efficient 10-17 and really carried the team in the second quarter. Night in and night out, Al keeps proving he can get the job done. He scores well, rebounds decently, and more of his points have started to come as a part of the overall offense, and not as ISO play.
	Raja Bell, SG 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -4 Showed some fight for a two minute stretch, but other than that, his stretches just feel like the Jazz are playing 4 on 5. Bell was out on the floor practicing for 90 minutes before the game, but things aren’t going well.
	Devin Harris, PG 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 6 AST | 0 PTS | +1 Seemed to ignore cues from Corbin all night, didn’t show any fight on defense, and every time Earl came in, the Jazz started to execute.
	Earl Watson, PG 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 8 AST | 0 PTS | +7 Showed great on-court leadership and played like a true PG. He pushed the ball, delivered the rock, and showed why he deserves a spot on the Jazz floor.
	C.J. Miles, SF 3-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | +5 Didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but played hard again and played strong. CJ seems to consistently be having trouble getting into the flow of the first half, which can be frustrating for him and Jazz fans.
	Derrick Favors, FC 3-5 FG | 0-1 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | 5BLKS | +12 Still no assists on the SEASON, but with starter minutes he might have come close to a triple double. His five blocks helped control the paint and are part of why the Jazz are leading the league in blocks this year. Most of his offense came off good passes. As a result, Favors was a beast and changed the game more than any other player. He caused the second quarter run that ended up being the difference in the game.
	Alec Burks, G 1-6 FG | 7-10 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 9 PTS | +10 I love the 6 assists and the ability to get to the line, but 1 for 7 is not good and his defense isn’t anything to write home about either (nice hustle, but some execution would be nice). Alec showed flashes of immaturity tonight (running charge), but he moves well on the court, is unselfish, and was a great spark for the A-team to build on.
	Enes Kanter, F 2-2 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | +1 Kanter did his thing; played hard, cleaned up in the paint, played solid D, and rebounded well.

Five Things We Saw

1. Alec Burks called his own number and ordered Al Jefferson out to set a pick for him at the top of the key.
2. I continue to see Tyrone Corbin control the team in a great way. If guys don’t play hard, they don’t play. At the same time, Corbin seems to deftly manage the egos and personalities.
3. Derrick Favors continue to show that he’s such an all around player. His length is such an asset on defense.
4. Gordon Hayward finally showed some confidence in the 4th quarter.
5. Earl Watson deserves some praise for being the perfect PG to help these young players along.

Player quotes

FAVORS:

On blocked shots: “It’s something I can do. I mean, it’s something I want to be known for as a defensive player. Just go out there and play hard on defense.”

On leading the league as a team in blocked shots: “That’s amazing. We’ll just try to keep it like that. It was a big deal for us to get stops. We know we can score, but we need to stop people.”

On coming together as a team defensively: “Yes, we are. Just having each other’s backs, rotating. [It’s about] knowing the personnel on the other team. Just go out there and play hard. There’s always work to be done–work on rotations and just the schemes before the games.”

HAYWARD:

“When we bring the energy and the crowd gets behind us, it’s just kind of a snowball effect and we’re able to create a run. We definitely need to learn to finish out the quarters and the halves.”

On what the team did defensively: “We were physical with them. For me, I got a couple fouls called, but at the end of the day it wears them down a little bit. We rotated a lot better and contested some shots. Even if you’ve got a hand in their face it makes it a little more difficult on them, and they missed some shots as well.”

On playing better late in games: “It’s a learning experience, you know? The more games you play, the more comfortable you get. I definitely need to be better just coming out the gate, so hopefully I will be.”

“I’m kind of a perfectionist, when things go wrong sometimes it gets me down; it’s something that I’ve struggled with my whole career, basketball-wise. You’ve just got to play through it. You’re going to make mistakes–that’s just how basketball works. You’ve got to keep attacking. The guys on the other teams are pretty good as well, so you hope to get the better of them once in a while.

CJ Miles

On state of the team: “We’re progressing. Every night we’re working hard, but we just need to piece it all together. We’re doing a better job of getting out and playing hard every night. That’s the biggest thing we’ve got to do.”

On how guys are reacting to shifting roles and lineups: “Guys are responding well, it’s just a matter of getting into a comfort zone and doing it, you know? Nobody’s like fighting the system or fighting other guys, everybody is just trying to figure out the best way to do it. We’re getting better, as you can tell, and it helps to have all these games at home–being a younger team. We’ll have more practice time because we won’t have to travel, so you know, maybe we’ll be able to break some things down.”