SALT LAKE CITY – As expected, the Utah Jazz easily outscored the Orlando Magic Saturday at the Vivint Arena.
Okay, maybe not quite as expected.
Utah, led by up to 42 in the first half, sank an NBA record of 18 3 in the first half, and Donovan Mitchell was left out of the game the first timeout of the third quarter.
There are bursts, then there are exploded.
The Jazz destroyed the Magic 137-91 for their ninth straight victory. Utah also extended its winning streak as the best franchise to 22.
So how ugly did things get on Saturday?
Let’s just say the most memorable plays were the ones that ended up without resulting in points.
Like when Rudy Gobert faked a 3-pointer at the top of the key, causing the 6,000 more fans to make it very clear they wanted the All-Star center to put it.
Or when Joe Ingles went up an alley for Mitchell when they were both behind the 3-point line. Mitchell got there, but was unable to control him enough to leave him.
Deja vu hit some possessions later when Ingles tried to find Mitchell again in a deep alley. This time, Mitchell has finished back off limits after the wrong throw. As he ran back, Mitchell seemed to ask Ingles, “What was that?” while laughing about the play.
On Saturday there were a lot of smiles and laughter for the Jazz.
They led by 18 after the first quarter (Orlando’s RJ Hampton hit a buzzer at the end of the first, so the Magic had at least that) and by 42 with just a few minutes left for the half.
Utah was 18 of 31 behind the arc in the first two quarters, setting a new NBA record for the 3s achieved in the half, a record that reached almost everyone. Mitchell was 6 of 7 from the first half, English 4 of 6, Jordan Clarkson 3 of 6, Georges Niang 2 of 3 and Bojan Bogdanovic 2 of 4.
It almost looked like the much more talented Jazz had one of their best shooting nights of the year against a Magic team that played with only eight players and had been the subject of several jokes after the commercial deadline when they left his greatest talent. think about your future (our favorites: “The Illusion” and “Earvin”).
Still, jazz coach Quin Snyder showed some pity. When Jazz increased by 46 with 8:03 left in the third quarter, Snyder got most of his headlines for the rest of the game, which the Jazz head coach has been reluctant to do, even with great advantages.
Mitchell finished with 22 points to lead the Jazz, with Ingles and Bogdnaovic both finishing with 17.
This story will be updated.