by Kimya Oliver
The Utah Jazz earned their first win after five losses. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 122-109.
The Crossover: Utah Jazz by the Numbers
Donovan Mitchell drove to the basket for the layup to start the ball game. The Jazz opened the first quarter on a 15-7 run. Mike Conley threw the ball up to Rudy Gobert for the alley-oop to close the first quarter leading 34-26.
Gobert drove for the layup to begin the second quarter. The Lakers started to gain offensive momentum towards the middle of the quarter. The Jazz started to get hot from beyond the arc with Bojan Bogdanovic and Conley draining back-to-back threes. The first half closed with the Jazz holding a 66-55 lead.
Mitchell threw the ball to Conley at the top of the arc to begin the third quarter. When the Lakers would come down and score a basket, the Jazz would answer back on the other end with a bucket. Off a bad pass, Danuel House Jr. came up with the steal and dunk. The third quarter ended with the Jazz holding onto a 99-85 lead.
Juancho Hernangomez drove for the layup and missed, but Gobert was there to clean up the mess to start the quarter. The Jazz shot 8-19 in the fourth quarter but still pulled off the win in their return home to Salt Lake City.
The Daily Double-Double
Mitchell finished the night with 29 points while Gobert finished with a double-double with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
Kimya’s Take
I feel like Gobert stepped up in this game. Yes, everyone knows Gobert grabs crazy rebounds, but the 25 points were big. By the numbers, everything went solid. Four of the Jazz starters were in double figures and Clarkson chipped in 19 off the bench. The Jazz capitalized on moving the ball around to find the open man, finishing the game with a total of 25 assists.
After this long losing streak, the Jazz needed this win to gain confidence. It seemed like after the loss to the Charlotte Hornets, they had no confidence in their game. In some games, the only person scoring was Mitchell. In the NBA game, one person can not win it all by themselves. Every team needs at least two superstars to be in the championship conversation. Even in this previous game versus the Clippers, the Jazz blew a game where they lead by more than 20 points. If I was in their shoes, my confidence would be at rock bottom. Since they bounced back with this win over the Lakers, their confidence should continue to progress.
Bounce Pass: Up Next
The Jazz will face the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is currently out with a foot injury and is not expected to play until April 7, 2022. However, that does not mean this Warrior team can be slept on. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole are both averaging around 18 points per game and Andrew Wiggins averages 17 points per game. They have deadly weapons on this squad.
Let’s not forget about Draymond Green’s leadership. Green is the commander on the floor. Without Curry, he will even play a bigger role for them. The media even thinks Poole might be the most improved player this season, so when he or Thompson gets hot they will need to be stopped.
The Jazz will face The Golden State Warriors on April 2 at 6:30 p.m. MST.
Featured image courtesy Mengshin Lin, Deseret News