This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Phoenix • There could be a notion that the current six-game winning streak the Utah Jazz are enjoying may not be that impressive on paper.
The Jazz have beaten exactly one opponent during the streak that would make the playoffs if the season ended today, and that's the Chicago Bulls. The remaining five wins are over teams that are either playing well but don't have enough talent, or are simply struggling, a la the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
Before one rushes to total judgment, however, think of this: The Jazz are winning the games they are supposed to win.
It sounds so simple, so matter-of-fact. But it's a step the Jazz are beginning to make as a young team — not playing down to the level of their competition.
"It shows that we're starting to mature a little bit," Utah small forward Gordon Hayward said. "We're learning how to win and we understand it's a process. We took advantage of a long homestand and we have two more tough games in two tough places to play. Hopefully we can go in there and play well, and try to finish strong before the all-star break."
Saturday's win over the Phoenix Suns perhaps showed the most growth. The Jazz were tired, but they realized they needed to start fast in order to combat the fatigue of playing on consecutive nights.
So Utah put together their best first quarter of the season, jumping on Phoenix and building a 31-12 advantage by the end of those 12 minutes. It served as enough of a cushion that the Suns were never much of a threat for the remainder of the game.
"I thought that was important for us," Jazz guard Rodney Hood said. "We all talked about it before the game and we felt that we needed to play well in that first quarter. It was big for us."
Stifle-a-Tower?
Rudy Gobert feasted on Phoenix's decision to foul him intentionally on Saturday night, hitting seven consecutive freebthrows and assuring himself of a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the process.
"I liked it," Gobert said.
Gobert's shooting thwarted the Suns' comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Jazz center shot 9 for 12 from the line, setting career-highs in both attempts and makes.
Odds and ends
The Jazz are still trying to work things out offensively, although Saturday night was an encouraging sign. Hood and Hayward both scored over 20 points. Utah put all five players in double-figures and the Jazz shot the ball better than they had previously. Still, Utah went a third straight game without scoring 100 points. … The last time the Jazz went to Dallas, where the team plays Tuesday, they had a nightmare second quarter, which set the tone for the remainder of the game, a loss for Utah. In a 102-93 loss, the Jazz saw the Mavericks go on a 35-17 run in that quarter. … Hood has 10 games this season with over 20 points. Eight of those have come after Jan. 1.
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