SALT LAGE CITY – Utah jazz coach Queen Snyder’s pre-season opener told some young jazz players to come in “during the meat of the game.” Monday, however, was about the players.
“I want to see if they have a chance to play together,” Snyder said. “The regular season is in the right corner.”
If it’s about creating excitement in advance, Jazz has been able to do it – at least during a dominance. The Phoenix at the Wind Arena could go right into the third quarter of Utah’s 111-92 win on Monday.
Here are four of Utah’s top five possessions of the second half:
- Donovan finds Mitchell Mike Conley coming off a screen and Conley filters a three.
- Bojan Boktanovic gets a pass in the half and screams for a dismissal.
- Boktanovic leaked after a Phoenix shot attempt and Conley found him, and he hit a change three.
- Conley steals the ball and throws it halfway to Boktanovic. Bogdanovic throws the court and pays Conley a pass back into the three.
It stabbed after the punch. Within two minutes, the Jazz had advanced from one point to 14 places.
“I think it shows what we can do when things start to click,” Mitchell said.
After a year together, the jazz seems to be clicking. The plays that did not lead to points were also enjoyable.
After Utah’s attack burst to start the half, he found Joe Inks in the three – quarter court, which was more like a post way than anything else. The Inks could have finished the play with a setting; Instead, he sent it an open Boktanovic touch in the corner. Boktanovic missed the shot.
Even with Miss, that’s how Jazz wants to play: a defensive stop that leads to a quick offense.
That extension was part of a 32-6 run that spread in the second and third quarters and was a visual object to what the team might consider: a locking defensive club and an explosive offense. That’s not a bad combination.
“We’re going to get nights like this where we don’t come out strong, and we need to make sure security is something that carries us,” Mitchell said. “I’m very happy with how the game went. We needed this type of game to see where our defense is.”
Monday one of those nights. It took the Jazz four minutes for Scott to have just 19 points at the end of the first quarter – however, they were not trailing by more than seven in the game.
“Honestly, I think we came up with a defensive mindset for this game, I think this is what got us out of the first game, and I think the guys are locked in a defensive ending trying to keep us in that position,” Conley said. “Things didn’t run as smoothly as we’d like at the end of the attack.
“But as the game progressed in the second and third, especially in the third, we started to get rid of things like some early steps and change three and easy opportunities for us. We took advantage of them – not allowing ourselves to work so hard to hit the ball.”
Jazz admitted they were sluggish at the defensive end of the season’s opening game. The third start is just as good as the offense, and that end will be the basis of the team. This is one reason to go to Utah and get Derrick Favor back.
“I was not happy with our defensive effort (Saturday),” Snyder said. “(We) were a little loosely defensive and wanted to see how we would respond openly.
Jazz held the Phoenix to just 15 first-quarter points, which gave them time to come to the offense – and when it was over, it was over.
“We played with good defense in the first half; the turnover didn’t help us,” Snyder said. “Once we found it and put it in custody, we were so much better, we were a little slow to get out of the gate.”
Slowly, but lately, a rocket exploded outside the gate.
Boktanovic finished with 18 points, Rudy Cobert had 11 points and 20 rebounds, and Conley finished with 16 points in the 3-off-5 shooting with 16 points and three assists.
Ryan Miller