We tried to go to him early, in the third quarter, and I think he got a couple buckets. And then we don't want to just force-feed something and get stagnant. – Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
SALT LAKE CITY — There were just 23.8 seconds left on the clock when Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles received an inbound pass near midcourt and turned to see Derrick Favors streaking along the baseline on a back cut.
Ingles hit Favors, Favors finished the uncontested dunk and the Jazz put an exclamation point on their sixth win of the young season, riding the momentum to the 93-89 victory over Toronto at Vivint Arena on Wednesday night.
The five-year veteran provided a spark for the Jazz multiple times in the final minutes. It did, however, take the big man a little time to find his stride.
"We tried to go to him early, in the third quarter, and I think he got a couple buckets," head coach Quin Snyder said, referring to Favors' six-point third period. "And then we don't want to just force-feed something and get stagnant."
The team kept working to find Favors, particularly with designed plays out of timeouts and when he was in motion.
"Sometimes, particularly when people are focused on him and help's coming, doubles are coming, it's better to get him on the move, in a pick-and-roll, and that's what we tried to do late," Snyder said.
"He's been very good in those situations, whether he caught a bounce pass and attacked the rim or he hit a little pull-up jumper in the pocket. Sometimes it's easier to do that than it is the physicality of the post."
Favors put in eight more points in the final quarter, and the dynamic duo of 6-foot-10 Favors and 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert played a crucial role for the Jazz in the final minutes. As the Raptors tried to push the ball inside the key, the two Jazzmen tag-teamed to alter shots and vacuum up boards.
Gobert totaled seven points, five rebounds, and two blocks in all while Favors' contributed more on the offensive end of the floor.
In addition to Favors' dunk with 23 seconds left in the game, he hit a 15-foot jumper with 3:17 remaining to give Utah a one-point lead, 84-83, during a sequence when the Jazz and Toronto traded leads five times in less than two minutes.
With 57.9 seconds to go, Favors rebounded a missed shot by Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan and then met the ball at the other end of the court for a three-point play, driving the lane for a layup and drawing a foul from Luis Scola en route.
Favors finished the game with 18 points, shot 78 percent from the floor and pulled down 11 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive end.
Sarah Thomas earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing an MBA at Westminster College. She has been covering sports for the Deseret News since 2008.