Lopsided Fourth Quarter Leads to Jazz Win as Trade Deadline Looms

Ingles and Favors connect on one of the Jazz’s 29 team assists. (Game still)

The Phoenix Suns’ last road victory came the day after Christmas in Orlando. Nearly two months later, the gifts are still coming up empty. The Jazz dealt the Suns their 12th straight loss away from Arizona, thanks to a strong fourth quarter that propelled Utah to a 116-88 win. 

📹| #PHXatUTA highlights ⤵️#TeamIsEverything pic.twitter.com/Nzk1VUGVjT

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 7, 2019

After holding a 79-71 lead through three quarters of play, the Jazz started out the final stanza with a 23-9 run. Josh Jackson, the fourth overall pick in 2017, led all scorers with 27 points and flashes of the potential that made him so tantalizing as a prospect. However,  the Jazz used balance to get the job done as they had seven players in double-figures, highlighted by Donovan Mitchell with 21 and another double-double for Rudy Gobert (16 points and 12 rebounds). The win puts the Jazz at 31-24 with a third of the season left to the play. The team has now won 11 of their last 14. 

The Jazz were 92.5% likely to win according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index and started the game with that mentality. On the season, the Suns are 29th in the league in turning the ball over; they gave the ball away three times in the first two-and-a-half minutes. Jae Crowder popped off the bench for eight points, which helped as Ricky Rubio  (1-for-4) and Mitchell (2-for-5) started out a little slow. Nonetheless,  the Jazz took a 30-24 lead after one. 

The turnovers weren’t just a first-quarter problem, either. By the end of the night, Phoenix coughed it up 22 times, resulting in 19 points for Utah. Another glaring hole for the Suns was the lack of shooting from beyond the arc. By halftime, Phoenix was 0-for-9 from deep and down 56-46. The deficit would’ve been deeper, but the Suns were shooting nearly 50 percent on the rest of their shots to keep the score somewhat close.

In fact, the Suns nailed three triples in the third quarter as they rallied, but that soon fizzled as they finished 3-of-17 from deep for the night. The Jazz, on the other hand, hit 11 of their 28 attempts. Royce O’Neale was an X-Factor in the second half, connecting on three of four from deep and was able to play aggressive defense, too. He finished with a hefty stat line: 15 points, two steals, four assists, and +31 (!) on the court. In the fourth quarter, as the Jazz ran away with the game, Joe Ingles left his mark on the court with some timely assists and buckets. Ingles had the second highest +/- on the night, +24, and led the Jazz with 11 assists. 

Just for Kicks

A popular fire-starter amongst fans of either fanbase is to compare 22-year-old Devin Booker, in his fourth year, to 22-year-old Donovan Mitchell, in his second year. Granted Booker didn’t play Wednesday night, but the comparisons are still fun. 

For kicks and giggles, here are the numbers for the current 2018-19 season. 

Interestingly enough, the two guards shoot nearly identical numbers from the field and average the same 3p% as the other. If one is to label Book as a high-volume shooter, you must concede Mitchell is, too. They both shoot threes at the same rate, so the scoring difference comes from effectiveness in the midrange or around the rim. For whatever reason, their rebound numbers are similar which is a nice bonus from the guard position.  

Now bear with me, but as much flak as Booker seemed to get from Jazz fans, he does provide an example of how DM could elevate his game. The glaring differences, according to a stat sheet, between the two would be free throw attempts and percentage and the assist numbers. For DM to take the next step, he needs to become more effective from the line and become a more consistent distributor (which helps when you have more playmaking responsibilities like Booker does in Phoenix). To me, it’s free throws that will really help Mitchell evolve as a scorer. (And if you really want to conduct a fun experiment, compare Mitchell’s free throw mechanics pre- and post-Korver trade; he’s adapted a Korver-like motion at the line.) 

Looking now at advanced stats, the numbers still bear similarities. The percentage of their shots that are beyond the arc are close, they both bear a heavy workload and usage rate, and their value over a replacement-like player is identical. If you believe Booker is all offense, you are right as his offensive win share is a plus while Mitchell makes up his mark with his defense on a defense-oriented team. 

Up Next

What roster takes the court the next time the Jazz line up is the biggest question as the NBA trade deadline hits Thursday afternoon. Ricky Rubio and Derrick Favors are popular names connected to rumors, but will any deals get done? Tune in Saturday for a rare afternoon game (3:00 p.m. MST tip) and see which players are wearing the Jazz note.  

Play of the game

My hat is tipping to the fan (and teacher!) called out to putt for cash during one of the timeout gimmicks that Qualtrics runs. He was on fire and netted some serious cash.

Putting for $8k?! No problem!@Qualtrics | ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/y5P1g38SES

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 7, 2019