Much as Utah Jazz fans are losing it over their team getting swept this season by the Phoenix Suns and falling into second place in the Western Conference standings, the truth is that unless Chris Paul & Co. suddenly started playing defense like the Sacramento Kings, Friday’s game was always going to be a difficult proposition.
Needless to say, the Suns did not suddenly, inexplicably fall apart, the Jazz suffered through their third abysmal first quarter in as many tries against Phoenix this year, and Utah ultimately dropped a 121-100 decision.
With the loss, Utah finished 0-3 against Phoenix this season, and fell to 45-18 on the season.
The two teams now have identical records, but with Phoenix having the head-to-head advantage, the Jazz technically now occupy the second spot in the Western table.
Again, though, the depressive resignation and/or angry determinations flowing about the team from a fanbase inconsolable about its club’s relegation by one whole spot apparently did not carry over to the team’s mentality.
Donovan Mitchell missed his seventh consecutive game with an ankle injury. Mike Conley sat out his second straight with a sore hamstring.
Coach Quin Snyder gave first-half rotation minutes to each of Trent Forrest, Jarrell Brantley, and Ersan Ilyasova.
Rudy Gobert was not among the starters on the court when the third quarter began, and while he eventually did go back out there, he played a mere 3 minutes in the period, and about that much in the fourth before coming out for good.
Did Snyder figure the game was pretty much unwinnable — especially the way his team fell apart early — and simply pull the plug?
Or are the Jazz repeating last season’s late-year swoon in a bid to avoid a rough first-round playoff matchup (this time the Lakers)?
Maybe he just figured he’d save everyone’s legs for Saturday’s game, in what figures to be an easier matchup against the Raptors at Vivint Arena?
It’s probably too early to say definitively.
What is apparent is that the Jazz are no closer to solving the Suns’ stifling defense.
Three of Phoenix’s best defensive efforts against the season have now come against Utah. Snyder was asked pregame what it is the Suns do that’s so effective in slowing the Jazz down.
“There are some very specific things that they do in the halfcourt. Without getting too detailed, they — what we call — top-lock us,” he explained. “When the ball goes to our bigs, [DeAndre] Ayton drops to the rim — he’s usually pretty far back anyway — and they try to make it very difficult for us to get the ball back to a ball-handler, and that has a real impact on spacing. I think it also gives them a chance in those situations to be very physical. It ends up with them switching a lot of movement.”
This game, he went on to say, was a chance to see if the Jazz could improve their execution against such a scheme.
Turns out, they could not.
With no Mitchell and Conley, Utah’s ball-handling suffered and its paint penetration was all but nonexistent.
Utah shot OK in the first quarter (9 for 20) but got virtually nothing easy, and turned it over five times in falling behind 39-23. They committed 10 first-half turnovers in total, leading to 20 Phoenix points.
Bojan Bogdanovic would lead the Jazz scoring efforts with 22 points, but no one played more than 29 minutes in the game.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/3nFUbsa
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