by Kimya Oliver
The Utah Jazz defeated the Charlotte Hornets 112-102.
The Crossover: Utah Jazz by the Numbers
Rudy Gobert won the tip for the Jazz, but couldn’t sink the layup on that possession. To get the offense going, Gobert gave Donovan Mitchell the high screen to give him space to let it fly from three.
The Hornets struggled early, allowing the Jazz to open the first quarter on a 13-2 run. The Jazz continued their run. Mitchell gave a behind-the-back pass to Mike Conley for the layup with 7:38 left in the first quarter.
Joe Ingles pushed the ball up court to find Royce O’Neale open beyond the arc. O’Neale made a cross-court pass to Bojan Bogdanovic to score the corner three, extending the lead to 20-6. The first quarter ended with the Jazz leading by a large 17 point amount. The score was 33-16 at the end of the first frame.
Rudy Gay hit a shot from beyond the arc to sink the first basket for the Jazz in the second quarter. The Jazz stayed consistent on the offensive boards. Gay pulled up from outside ad couldn’t sink the shot, but Hassan Whiteside was there for the putback layup.
The Jazz continued to feed the ball inside to cause the Hornets to foul. The Jazz shot eight free throws in the final 4:30 of the first half. The second quarter ended with the Jazz leading 54-41.
After almost two scoreless minutes for the Jazz, Conley hit back-to-back threes to begin the third quarter. The Jazz had a 20 point lead, but the Hornets cut it down to nine points to 74-65.
The Jazz needed to find offensive momentum. Jordan Clarkson split the defense to get open for the three. The third quarter ended with the Jazz leading 80-68.
Traveling: Jazz back on winning track at Home
Gobert was fouled while shooting and sank both free throws to open the fourth. With three minutes left to go the Hornets continued to cut the Jazz lead to 94-92.
The Jazz turned defense into offense, going on an 11-5 run with one minute left to play.
The Daily Double-Double
Bogdanovic and Gobert led the Jazz with 23 points each. Gobert also grabbed 21 rebounds. This gives Gobert an NBA high 24 double-doubles on the season.
Bounce Pass: Up Next
The Jazz will have a couple days of rest before facing Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 23 at 7 p.m. MST.
Featured image courtesy Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News