Defense trumps offense as Utah Jazz fall to Celtics
The Utah Jazz have the best Offensive Rating in the NBA. The Boston Celtics have the best Defensive Rating in the NBA. Last night, the allegedly unstoppable force met the immovable object. The object did not move.
The Celtics thrashed the Jazz by a final tally of 125-97. This was one of the worst games of the Jazz’s entire season.
Utah Jazz offense grinds to a halt
There were so many problems with the Jazz’s attack last night that it’s hard to even know where to begin.
We’ll start with the foundation of Quin Snyder’s offense: three-point shooting. The Jazzmen shot a gruesome 8/36 from beyond the arc last night, good for 22.2%.
It was a reflection of the offense as a whole. After all, they shot 39.8% from the field as a whole. They also finished with 13 assists. Any longtime Utah Jazz fan can tell you that that’s roughly an assist less than John Stockton’s best average.
It’s not enough for a team in an NBA game. The ball would simply not move last night. The Boston Celtics wouldn’t let it.
Utah Jazz missing rotation wings
It’s fair to suggest that this game may have been closer if the Jazz had been healthier. The Celtics start Al Horford at the 4. He’s one of the game’s more mobile big men, even at his age. Still, chasing wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Danuel House around screens is not his ideal role.
Matching him up with Eric Paschall nullified that potential advantage last night. Missing both Bogdanovic and House Jr. effectively robs the Jazz of their identity.
We’re not suggesting that either’s presence would have won this game for the Jazzmen, but it might have made for a more competitive contest.
Utah Jazz star shines alone
Donovan Mitchell had a solid performance in this one. He just didn’t have a lot of help.
Mitchell finished with 37 points on 13/24 shooting from the field. It is worth noting that he shot 3/12 from distance, and only managed to sling one assist. He still did what he could to keep the Utah Jazz afloat.
With an elite Celtics defense taking his passing lanes away, and aggressively closing out his three-ball, Mitchell was able to get layups and little else. The Celtics did what few teams have the audacity to: they dared Mitchell to beat them by himself.
No man is an island in the National Basketball Association.
Rudy Gobert was fine, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a block. We know that the Stifle Tower is a complimentary offensive player. He’s more inclined to take over games on the other end.
Eric Paschall finished with 11 while Jordan Clarkson had 10, but neither was efficient. Each shot 4/12 from the field. Otherwise, no other Jazz player finished in double digits.
The newly acquired Juancho Hernangomez summed up the Jazz’s night well. In five minutes of action, he failed to accumulate a single statistic.
This was a rough one for the Utah Jazz. All they can do is look ahead: they’ve got a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
