These Cavs are a young team with a distinct identity, and that identity revolves around length. By starting Lauri Markkanen at the 3, the Cavs routinely run triple tower lineups, directly bucking modern trends. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz run a modernized look, with a rim running, rim protecting big in the middle for the majority of every game, surrounded by 2 wings and 2 guards.
In other words, this matchup was a clash of styles. With so much length in the frontcourt, this Cavs team kept the paint permanently packed against the Jazz, routinely denying them the dunk and layup attempts that Quin Snyder’s offense feasts on. Conversely, they were poorly equipped to counter the other significant component of the Jazz’s attack: the three-pointer.
The Utah Jazz shot 20/48 from three-point range in this contest, good for 41.7% in total. That accuracy continued the team’s overall hotness from deep. Obviously, the quality three-point shooting didn’t result in elite offensive production, with the Jazz managing a modest 109 points. Again, the Cavs kept the protected area, well, protected. The Jazz responded by locking down on defense in turn.
It was a gutsy victory against a quality young team. Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from this Utah Jazz win.
we predicted a Jazz loss in this contest</a>). Regardless, they overcame adversity to pick up their fourth straight win by a final score of 109-108. </span>In the dying moments of the game, Darius Garland launched a triple that would have put the Jazz to bed. It hung around the rim like a distant cousin at a family Christmas party who you’re just remembering why you never call. It ultimately would not drop, and by the time the ball found itself back in play, the clock had expired.</p>
<p>These Cavs are a young team with a distinct identity, and that identity revolves around length. By starting Lauri Markkanen at the 3, the Cavs routinely run triple tower lineups, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/06/two-studs-one-dud-utah-jazz-win-cavs/"https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/03/the-modernization-of-nba-offenses-and-why-small-ball-is-here-to-stay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directly bucking modern trends</a>. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz run a modernized look, with a rim running, rim protecting big in the middle for the majority of every game, surrounded by 2 wings and 2 guards.</p>
<p>In other words, this matchup was a clash of styles. With so much length in the frontcourt, this Cavs team kept the paint permanently packed against the Jazz, routinely denying them the dunk and layup attempts that Quin Snyder’s offense feasts on. Conversely, they were poorly equipped to counter the other significant component of the Jazz’s attack: the three-pointer.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz shot 20/48 from three-point range in this contest, good for 41.7% in total. That accuracy continued the team’s overall hotness from deep. Obviously, the quality three-point shooting didn’t result in elite offensive production, with the Jazz managing a modest 109 points. Again, the Cavs kept the protected area, well, protected. The Jazz responded by locking down on defense in turn.</p>
<p>It was a gutsy victory against a quality young team. Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from this Utah Jazz win.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/06/two-studs-one-dud-utah-jazz-win-cavs/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A stud </a>
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he should be this team’s de facto point guard</a>. He also finished this game with 6 assists and 7 turnovers. That, to say the least, is suboptimal. On the other hand, Mitchell did what he’s always done best: score the basketball.</p>
<p>He was the picture of an elite scoring guard last night. He wasn’t afraid to go deep into the trees, driving to the basket with confidence that would suggest he was taller than any Cavalier on the floor. He also created his own looks from distance, with half of his four made three-pointers coming unassisted.</p>
<p>Mitchell is now averaging 24.2 points per game on the season, compared to 26.4 last year. His three-point accuracy still has some catching up to do, as his 33.7% mark lags behind last season’s 38.6%. However, his overall field goal percentage has actually increased, from 43.8% to 44.6%.</p>
<p>Utah Jazz fans have no reason to worry about Spida. He’s nearly as effective as he was last season, and he’s trending upwards. They can expect him to be there for them come playoff time.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/06/two-studs-one-dud-utah-jazz-win-cavs/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Another stud </a>
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certainly worthy of consideration.</a></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/06/two-studs-one-dud-utah-jazz-win-cavs/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A dud </a>
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getting a little repetitive</a>. We wanted to write a joke about using the copy and paste function to write this slide, but we’ve already done that as well.</p>
<p>Clarkson finished with 7 points on 3/14 shooting from the field and 1/8 shooting from downtown. It’s not that his inefficiency disrupts the flow of this Utah Jazz offense. He operates as he’s expected to: as a volume scorer with no conscience. His role is to alleviate Donovan Mitchell’s shot creation burden, and from a volume perspective, he does exactly that.</p>
<p>The shots just need to drop for it to matter. The Jazz escaped the Cavaliers last night by a single point. That’s great: it’s a win on the ledger. However, the deeper this Jazz team advances into the NBA playoffs, the less they’ll be able to afford a 3/14 effort from the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year.</p>
<p>All told, Clarkson is now shooting 37% from the field and 29.4% from downtown on 8.9 attempts per game. That’s gruesome. We’ll maintain a semblance of hope that he can turn it around, but 23 games into the 2021-22 season, it’s getting increasingly hard to call this a slump.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Should Mitchell run this Jazz offense?" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/03/donovan-mitchell-run-offense-utah-jazz/" data-call-to-action="Next"
> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/06/two-studs-one-dud-utah-jazz-win-cavs/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/12/03/donovan-mitchell-run-offense-utah-jazz/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Should Mitchell run this Jazz offense? </a> </div>
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<p>Clarkson’s struggles aside, the Utah Jazz improved to 16-7 on the year with this victory. They’ll hope to extend their winning streak to 5 when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday evening.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">