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Yesterday was Christmas. The Jazz played a game. There’s a fair amount of stuff big and small to unwrap from it, such as:
• Rudy Gobert’s latest stellar defensive effort carrying the team to a 117-96 win;
• An efficient performance from the Aussies, and a heartfelt pregame speech from Kyle Korver;
Then, for one last present, there was the alley-oop.
About 7 minutes into the first quarter, Kyle Korver stole the ball and tossed it to Jae Crowder in the middle of the court. Crowder saw Donovan Mitchell running ahead of the defense, and apparently had a thought along the lines of, I’ll just put it up there from halfcourt and see what happens.
“Well, I saw no one behind him, so I just threw it,” Crowder said with a smile. “I play a free type of game, and I just wanted to make a play, and he was wide open, with no one behind him, and he did a great job of going up and getting it.”
Mitchell acknowledged there was a certain degree of difficulty to completing the crowd-pleasing highlight.
“The catch was easy — it was the turning around and trying to find the rim. I didn’t know where I was, I didn’t know if I was gonna airball a dunk, dunk nothing,” he said. “I was just praying to god that [the rim] was right there, and it was. A Christmas gift from god, for sure.”
Week in review
• You may have heard the Jazz played a game on Christmas. Do you know why, though? How did lil' ol' Utah get such a coveted spot? Andy Larsen provided the details. [TRIB]
• The Jazz had “only” 20 assists vs. the Blazers on Christmas — this after three straight games of 30 or more. What’s behind the surge in the passing numbers? [TRIB]
• Dante Exum has a devoted contingent of fans who strongly believe in his ability to be a contributor. They’ve seen him do just that of late — no small feat, considering he was battling Raul Neto for minutes just weeks ago. [TRIB]
• Donovan’s shooting numbers have regressed a bit this year. But after a 5-for-26 effort last week, coach Quin Snyder said it’s important for his star guard to remain aggressive. [TRIB]
• Do you like podcasts? ’Cause we’ve got one! Somebody let former @tribjazz Tony Jones back in the building, so Andy and I figured we’d have him on. Hilarity ensues, of course, on the latest edition of The Weekly Run! [TRIB]
• In their two matchups, the Jazz have largely held Damian Lillard in check. No one expected that to be the case, considering he’d averaged 33.0 ppg vs. Utah a year ago. [TRIB]
Other voices
• Another former @tribjazz, Aaron Falk, who’s now a feature write for utahjazz.com, talked to the players about their best Christmas memories, and getting the chance to play on the day. [Jazz]
• Tony Jones, who now works for The Athletic, wrote about Ricky Rubio’s attempts to balance the highs and lows of his life and career. (Content from The Athletic requires either a free trial or a subscription.) [The Athletic]
• Adidas, whom Donovan Mitchell is signed to, unveiled a new logo yesterday for his signature apparel. [Twitter]
• You want Power Rankings? We’ve got ’em. Ahead of yesterday’s win, ESPN had the Jazz at No. 16 in the NBA, with Tim MacMahon exploring Mitchell’s decline in efficiency this season. [ESPN]
• Again, before the Christmas game, NBA.com put the Jazz 17th in the league, with writer John Schuhmann focusing on the team’s improved defense. [NBA]
• Reid Forgrave of CBS Sports looks upon the team most favorably, ranking them 13th. Taking the Christmas win into consideration, he lauds the team for surviving a “brutal schedule.” [CBS]
• And finally, one last bit of Twitter awesomeness. A couple times yesterday, Joe Ingles hit a shot, then appeared to wave at somebody. Reporters tried to ask him about it, and he refused to answer. Turns out, he was acknowledging a fan in the crowd who, when Ingles had Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic faced up, encouraged him to shoot it. Ingles, being the troll extraordinaire that he is, was captured on video telling Nurkic, “I’m shooting it.” He was making it, too.
Quote of the week
On Christmas Eve, Thabo Sefolosha was asked who was the most Santa-like on the Jazz:
"Ekpe got us books. That might surprise you guys! … All the same [books for everyone] — there’s probably some good message behind it, so I’m looking forward to reading that. Other than that, I’m still waiting for my Rolex from Rudy!”
Up next
This marathon four-game home stretch continues Thursday against … Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s another national TV game (this time on TNT), so it’s another 8:30(ish) tipoff. The homestand wraps Saturday with a 6 p.m. game vs. the Knicks. After that, it’s back on the road at the start of the new year for one last big trip, with a swing through Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
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