It was one of the quickest starts to a game, that the Jazz could have hoped for. The Jazz were up 10-0 and flying through the first four minutes of the game, only to see the team put up three whole points the rest of the quarter. Utah trailed at the end of the first quarter, after the 19-3 spurt propelled the Pistons into the lead, 19-14. Scoring got better from there, I promise! Well, at least for the Jazz! As for Detroit, that’s another story, all together, in the Jazz’ drubbing over the Pistons, 110-77, Friday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Through the first three quarters, Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, were held virtually scoreless, which meant it was Rodney Hood, George Hill and Gordon Hayward leading the charge for the Jazz, who saw their record improve to 25-16, two games behind the Clippers, all alone for the 5th position in the Western Conference. Memphis and OKC are on the Jazz’ heels, a half game and one game back, respectively, as the Jazz look to tomorrow night’s match-up vs. the Orlando Magic. Orlando is coming off a win over Portland on Friday night, 115-109, where Nikola Vucevic went off for 30 points on 13-18 shooting.
Speaking of shooting, I mentioned Rodney Hood as part of the charge that led the scoring, for much of the game. Hood couldn’t seem to miss, especially from deep. Hood was 7/8 from three point range, 10/14 overall, in a game that saw the Jazz shoot nearly 52% from the arc, but it was Hood’s 27 points that set the tone for the club.
While Gobert and Favors eventually found their way in the scoring department, one thing that never wavered with the two big men, was their defense prowess and presence around the basket. Both Favors and Gobert did plenty of damage on the glass, with 8 rebound and 11 rebounds, respectively, while both protected the glass. Gobert, especially, continues to show his defense player of the years candidate status, adding 3 blocks in this game.
Side Note: Joe Johnson played 17 minutes and scored 3 points. You may be asking, “why should I care about that stat?” Well, it was a 60 foot buzzer beater to end the third quarter, that gave Johnson his 3 points. The shot also extended the Jazz’ lead back up to 15 points and perfectly set up the fourth quarter route the Jazz would put up, outscoring the Piston’s, 32-14, in the final 12 minutes.
Featured Image by: Michael Tipton
