Jazz Miss DPOY in Loss to MVP

November 26th, 2019 | by Isaac Adams

Giannis’ 50 were too much for the Jazz to pull off a dramatic sequel. (Gary Dineen via espn.com)

It was probably too much to hope for the same late-game heroics that allowed the Jazz to defeat the Bucks in Salt Lake to repeat themselves on Monday night in Milwaukee. Unlike that November 8 duel, this time the Jazz fell just short of a comeback win as the Bucks held on for a 122-118 victory, ending the season series between the two teams in a 1-1 tie.

The Jazz have one of the league’s best answers to reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in Rudy Gobert but with the reigning DPOY missing his second consecutive game, the remaining answers were lacking as Giannis scored at-will on his way to a 50-point night.

As much as Gobert’s defensive presence was sorely missing, the Jazz offense showed up and provided a glimmer of hope. After a disastrous close to the 3rd quarter that saw the Jazz give up a 10-0 run, the Jazz were able to rally in the 4th and keep the game close. The visitors were able to close to within 118-120 with a chance to tie or win the game in the closing seconds but Donovan Mitchell’s driving layup with five seconds remaining was rejected by Brook Lopez in the kind of game-saving play Jazz fans have come to expect from Gobert.

While it ultimately ended in heartbreak, it is encouraging that the Jazz were able to rally back from a double-digit deficit and make things close on the road against one of the best teams in the NBA without Gobert.

Stat of the Game

50 points – Giannis Antetokounmpo; 0 MP – Rudy Gobert

The Jazz really could have used the DPOY to try to stop the MVP.

Line of the Game

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in points, rebounds and assists with 50/14/6. He was +14 in the Bucks’ 4-point win.

Decisive Moment

With 2:24 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Jeff Green hit a catch-and-shoot 3 off an Emmanuel Mudiay assist to give the Jazz an 83-80 lead. The Bucks then scored 10 unanswered points as the Jazz missed five consecutive field goal attempts. At halftime, the Bucks had only scored 48 points. They scored 42 in the third quarter alone.

Highlight of the Game

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Notes

  • The Jazz bench looked great tonight, outscoring the Bucks bench 51-29
  • The Jazz offense also looked good against an elite defense posting a 115.7 offensive rating against the Bucks’ top-5 defense.

Up Next

The longest and hardest road trip of the year continues with a stop in Indiana as the Jazz face Bojan Bogdanovic’s old team in the Pacers on Wednesday.

 

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