Utah Escapes the Pistons to Cap Off Perfect Trip

Bogdanovic had a big night in Utah’s fifth straight win. (Chris Schwegler via espn.com)

Not too long ago, the Utah Jazz were struggling to find their identity after dropping four straight. Fast forward a week and a half, and Jazz have finally found themselves again, winning all of their games on the recent road trip.

In fact, this is just a small piece of the larger picture for the Utah Jazz, one of the streakiest teams in the NBA. Over the last 22 games the Jazz are 13-9. The Jazz had won four in a row including quality wins against the Pacers and the Mavericks as part of a really impressive 19-2 stretch, but then dropped five consecutive games. Utah followed that run by winning four in a row, followed by four more losses. The win over the Detroit Pistons extends their current streak to five. That means that over the last 22 games the Jazz have gone 4-0, 0-5, 4-0, 0-4 and then 5-0.

Saturday evening’s game followed a similar pattern of back-and-forth runs. A 3-pointer made by Bojan Bogdanavic put the ahead by 22 points with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter. The Jazz started hot and finished out the half up 16 points, 55-39. Utah’s staunch defense combined with Detroit’s poor shooting in the first half allowed the Jazz to take a comfortable lead.

During the middle of the third quarter, the Pistons made an 11-3 run to bring the game within eight points with 3:25 left in the period. Utah countered that run to push the lead back to 12, but they hadn’t heard the last of the Pistons.

The Pistons scored eight of the final 10 points of the third quarter, then started the fourth out hot, scoring the first six points off of two layups and a dunk. That 14-2 run tied the game at 79 with 10:38 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Jazz struck back with an 18-2 run of their own that made it 97-81 with under six minutes to play. It seemed the game was decided at that point, but Detroit once again clawed back into it amid high emotions. Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Bruce Brown of Detroit got a little chippy on the block while lining up for a free throw, and they were both given technical fouls. The confrontation may have sparked what followed: a 21-8 run by the Pistons. Jordan McRae’s layup cut the Jazz’s lead to only 3 points with 42.1 seconds remaining.

Needing an answer the Jazz were able to seal the deal with the most unconventional of plays. Donovan Mitchell lost his footing and nearly fumbled the ball, but was able to make a miraculous pass across the court while sitting on the ground. He found Joe Ingles who fed the ball to Gobert. Gobert drew a shooting foul with only a half second remaining on the shot clock, and his 2-for-2 trip to the line sealed the victory for the Jazz. Detroit big man Christian Wood missed a pick-and-pop three on the other end, and Mitchell was able to put the game away for good with two free throws. 

Bogdanovic had a fantastic game, scoring 32 points on 12-18 shooting, and grabbing five rebounds. He did it by stroking threes like this one:

Bogey is NIIICEE 👌 pic.twitter.com/lRP6tpNbVf

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2020

Mitchell also added 25 points to the cause. Mike Conley finished with 12 points and 4 assists, but over the last 4 games he has been averaging 17.3 points per a game, shooting almost 50% from three. He has been vital to recent success.

Wood scored 30 points in a career-high effort and finished with 11 rebounds.

If the pattern from the past 21 games holds, it looks like the Jazz are now due for a losing streak. The key for future success from this Utah team is going to be consistency. This core group of guys can be one of the best teams in the NBA when they play like it. The biggest concern is going to be trying to find a way to play up to their full caliber night in and night out. That is a concern that they must resolve for themselves.

Mitchell said it best when he reflected on the 4-0 road trip in his postgame interview: “We did a great job. We did what we were supposed to do. Now we have to go back home and take care of business.” The next couple of games are going to be important in establishing consistency.

“This time of year, we are really locked in,” Mitchell continued. “We got to go out there and continue to win.”

The victory ends a successful road trip for the Jazz in the East, and combined with a Houston loss, moves Utah back into the fourth spot in the Western Conference. They will play again in Vivint SmartHome Arena on Monday, when they host the Toronto Raptors.