At times, it’s been a struggle for the Utah Jazz after the All-Star break.
Scoring has often been an issue, as the Jazz have failed to crack the 100-point barrier in five of their six games after the break. Leads haven’t been safe, as teams have been able to stay in games against the Jazz.
But, after Utah’s 94-80 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena, the bottom line is all that matters. The Jazz have won 15 of their last 17 games. They’ve gone from 19-28 on the season to 34-30. And they are within a game and a half of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
“We’ve won three games in a row,” is how point guard Ricky Rubio put it. “Maybe we have some things that we can do better, but the winning is all that matters.”
The Jazz continue to miss the scoring punch Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson provided off the bench before they were traded. But, center Rudy Gobert is playing up to his All-NBA status of a season ago, which has allowed the Jazz to continue to roll while making adjustments on their second unit.
Against the Magic, Gobert scored 21 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked two shots. As he did against the Sacramento Kings, he dominated the paint defensively. Offensively, he shot 9 of 10 from the field on a variety of dunks, layups and even a 17-foot bank shot reminiscent of Tim Duncan.
Largely because of Gobert’s presence, the Magic shot 34 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range. When the Jazz needed a stop defensively, they were usually able to come up with one.
“Rudy’s playing out of his mind right now,” Utah rookie guard Donovan Mitchell said. “I think it’s him being aggressive on both ends. We’re doing well. But it starts with Rudy, and he’s been leading us.”
Monday night wasn’t easy for the Jazz, despite the final score. They didn’t get to the free-throw line in the first half, which led to frustration with the officiating, which led to coach Quin Snyder blowing a fuse, picking up a pair of technical fouls in the last minute and garnering an ejection.
The Jazz led by as many as 16 points, but Orlando was able to whittle that deficit to 72-67 late in the third quarter. And the Magic were physical with the Jazz, which contributed a bit to Utah’s inability to create offense for large stretches.
But, Utah’s defense stayed true throughout. The Jazz allowed the Magic 15 points in the third quarter and surrendered just 13 points in the final 12 minutes. Utah continued to attack the basket in the second half, and found its way to the free-throw line 18 times in the third and fourth quarters. The Jazz were also able to put five players in double figures, offsetting just 12 points coming from their bench.
“We stayed aggressive and kept going to the basket,” Snyder said. “We know we aren’t going to get every call. When you don’t get something you want, you’ve got to keep doing it. We kept trying to attack, and eventually we got rewarded.”
Mitchell was a central figure in this. With his jumper on temporary hiatus, he started going to the rim. He ended up with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Joe Ingles was brilliant in an all-around fashion. He scored 18 points, while handing out eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Rubio scored 12 points, to go along with eight assists and five rebounds. Jonas Jerebko, starting in place of the injured Derrick Favors, scored 12 points.
Rubio stressed that things won’t be perfect at this time of year. He said it’s been a long season and fatigue plays a role. So, the Jazz may not always hold leads.
But, the end results have been good for the better part of a month, even if Utah’s still not currently in playoff position.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Orlando guard Evan Fournier said. “They do a good job defensively. They obviously have Rudy. It puts a lot of pressure on us guards to make good decisions.”
