Not too long ago it felt like the Jazz were on a bit of an uptick. The win over Golden State looked like it could have been a turning point for a team trying to find its identity. However, the Jazz came into Saturday night on a three game losing streak, having lost five of their last six. In fact, their last win was against Golden State a little over a week ago. Coming off of a tough loss to a Phoenix team that shot 52% from the three the night before, the Jazz were going to have to find the energy to beat the Ty Corbin led Kings. Corbin wouldn’t get his revenge; as the Jazz led from start to finish.
Utah came out with good energy and jumped out to an early lead in the first. Enes Kanter and Gordon Hayward both hit some big shots to keep the Jazz offense rolling. Utah also played good defense on the Kings in the first. They only allowed Sacramento to score 15 points, and had good control of perimeter defense.
In the second quarter the Jazz continued to play well on both ends of the ball. It wasn’t quite as dominating a performance as the first quarter, but the energy remained high. The Jazz also limited the Kings to 8/26 shooting in the paint during the first half. Both Favors and Gobert had big blocks for the Jazz, Favors with 3 and Gobert with 2. Hayward was also well on his way to another big night offensively, scoring 17 in the first half.
The Jazz continued to impose their will on the Kings in the third quarter, building their lead and keeping Hayward’s offensive roll going. Hayward scored 9 points in the third, increasing his total to 26 through three. Sacramento had trouble containing Kanter and Favors, who both increased their point totals to 17 and 13 points respectively. With Joe Ingles missing the game due to back spasms and Chris Johnson not being renewed, Steve Novak was also given an opportunity to prove he’s still got it. If he’s still got it, it’s locked up in there somewhere. Novak had very little impact on the game.
The fourth quarter saw the Jazz continue to build their lead on Sacramento. Utah built their lead to around 20 points and kept it there through most of the quarter. Frustration boiled over for the Kings, and much to the delight of the crowd Ty Corbin received a technical foul. Corbin’s technical didn’t provide much of a spark for his team. The Jazz won the game by a final score of 102-90. Utah gave up a few easy buckets late, after Quin Snyder pulled the starters. On the last possession of the game Dante Exum shot a three after the Jazz could have just run out the clock and Snyder wasn’t happy about it. But Snyder was pleased overall with his team’s performance, especially considering that this was their 4th game in 5 nights. Gordon finished with 30 points. Derrick Favors finished with 20 pts, 9 rbs, and 3 blocks. Enes Kanter was also impressive, adding 17 pts and 13 rbs.
Overall it was a good game for the Jazz. Hayward continued to shine after being left off of the All-Star team. It’s not to say that Hayward was deserving of such an honor, but he’s making it known that he is a very well rounded player who can lead a team in this league. While their record is similar to last year’s, it’s clear that this team is playing more cohesively and with a greater sense of purpose. In the past few years we’ve seen the Jazz collapse after the All-Star break. With a few games to play before the break, the Jazz are looking focused on the goal at hand, consistent progression. Given their effort it would be surprising if we saw the Jazz let up on this season as it winds to an end. It looks like Snyder has gotten them to buy into the grind. The question that remains is whether or not this group of guys is continuing on the trajectory that fans hope they are.
Postgame Audio:
Quin Snyder: http://espn700sports.com/?p=58718
Gordon Hayward: http://espn700sports.com/?p=58727
Derrick Favors: http://espn700sports.com/?p=58733
Trey Burke: http://espn700sports.com/?p=58739
