The Jazz Defense Holds Court vs. Pistons in 104-81 Victory

Clarkson and Mitchell led the Jazz to a 2019-ending win, Utah’s third straight. (via ESPN.com)

The Utah Jazz defense was dominant in their 23-point victory against the Detroit Pistons. The Jazz are on a hot streak, winning eight out of their last nine games and pushing their record to an impressive 21-12, only a half-game behind the fifth-place Dallas Mavericks.

The Jazz struggled offensively early in the game, scoring only 39 points and shooting 33 percent from the field in the first half. Luckily, with solid defense, they held the Pistons to only 40 points. The Jazz continued to thrive defensively in the second half allowing only 81 points to Detroit, who usually averages 108.3 points per a game. The stingy defense from the Jazz held the Pistons to their lowest scoring night throughout of the 2019-2020 season, and tied for the fifth lowest output by any NBA team this season.

The recent success from the Jazz has come from the dominant defense that Dennis Lindsey and Quinn Snyder have attempted to make a staple in Salt Lake City. The Jazz started the second half on a 16-2 run and never looked back. They outscored the Pistons 65 to 41 in the second half.

Jordan Clarkson seems to be signing on to the defensive culture as well. Clarkson has already become a fan favorite to Jazz faithful. The stadium erupted when he knocked down a three with 27.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter off of a pass from Emanuel Mudiay. He made four three-pointers on only seven attempts and finished the night with 20 points. He seems to be just the player that the Jazz needs in their efforts to piece together an ongoing puzzle as they approach the All-Star break.

“I’m coming in and just trying to listen and grow every day,” Clarkson said in a postgame interview.

Clarkson, notoriously an offensive threat, has shown effort and energy on the defensive side as well. Other than one steal, his defensive efforts don’t show up on the stat sheet, but the coaches have noticed it. He played 27 total minutes during the game, two more than starter Royce O’Neal. So far, he has been a fantastic addition for the Utah Jazz.

“I am just glad everyone has welcomed me with open arms,” Clarkson added.

Clarkson became the first Jazz player off the bench to score 20 points in a game.

Only one Utah Jazz player, Georges Niang, ended with a negative plus-minus ratio in Monday night’s game. He played 14 minutes and ended with a minus-2. Other than the three personal fouls during those fourteen minutes, he had little effect on the game. His stat sheet was all zeroes until one of the final possessions down the stretch when he made a three pointer on the only shot that he attempted. With Jeff Green off the Utah Jazz roster, Niang will have plenty of opportunities to get more playing time and help the Jazz. With more responsibility on him, Niang needs to step up and help give the Jazz a boost off of the bench.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assits. He also had a few fantatic highlights like this dunk:

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕕𝕒 𝕚𝕟 𝕗𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/a1pHx1zMUB

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 31, 2019

Rudy Gobert finished with 13 points and 19 boards and Bojan Bogdanavic added on 17 points. Even new addition Rayjon Tucker got in on the action, scoring his first two NBA points on a late layup in his Jazz debut.

The Jazz face the Chicago Bulls for their first game in 2020 and look to extend their lead to win streak to four games.