1. Playing with Purpose Fueled The Jazz’ First Half Lead Sometimes things click for a team, and sometimes they don’t. What I felt was unique about tonight’s game is that we got to see a bit of both.
The Jazz jumped out to a 66-46 lead just before halftime and then fell flat the rest of the game, losing the final 25 minutes 80-52. What stood out to me was what I believe to be the most fundamental intangible: purpose. The Jazz weren’t shooting particularly well through the first half, and they weren’t grabbing rebounds any more than they normally do.
Yet Utah’s ball pressure felt intentional, and defensively players were locked into the schemes the Jazz were playing. When John Collins helps at the basket, Johnny Juzang instinctively fills the corner. Meanwhile, Keyonte George mans up Zach Collins underneath the hoop as a desperation floater is thrown up.
This is a great team effort! I was excited coming into the season to see if, and when, Will Hardy would deploy the team’s zone defense. While we only saw a few possessions of it, the youth impressed me in managing to force San Antonio into difficult shot attempts while staying connected and communicating switches.season-low Defense led to offense, and the ball was moving.
In the first half, the Jazz tallied 16 assists and a season-low 3 turnovers. There’s something so special about effort in basketball and things were clicking for the Jazz in the first half because of it. Players were actively trying to move the.
