It was an ugly, low-scoring game rife with poor shooting and seemingly endless turnovers. The Utah Jazz were a little less ugly, emerging with an 82-75 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
Why the Jazz won: Once again, the Jazz managed to get started on the right foot. An energetic, solid first quarter set the tone for the night. That early cushion helped ease the impact of an extremely poor third quarter. Utah controlled the boards, with both Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert finishing with double-doubles. The Jazz were active defensively, which covered up for some less-than-stellar offensive execution.
Turning point: Milwaukee clamped down on defense in the third quarter and Utah had a tough, tough time getting anything going. Fortunately for the Jazz, the Bucks did not take advantage. Utah managed a pair of 6-0 runs that gave them enough breathing room in the fourth to sustain the lead and capture the win.
What it means: Don’t look now, but with their second consecutive win, the Jazz are now winners of four of their last five games and six of the past eight. Head coach Quin Snyder and his staff have their team playing .500 ball the past two months. While there are ample ways in which Utah can and must improve, the progress it is making is evident. While the playoffs are not in the picture, the Jazz continue to work hard and as a result, positive things are occurring. They are learning to compete in different scenarios, with Saturday’s victory in an aesthetically unpleasing game being a good example.
Grading the performance: Utah had a lot of deficiencies. There were several spurts where execution was strained and ball movement was stalled. Shots that were falling Friday were not 24 hours later. Still, the Jazz dug in and gutted out a gritty win. The interior play of the Favors/Gobert tandem was strong on both ends. Trey Burke injected life into some listless spells, leading the Jazz with 23 points off the bench.
Utah Jazz grade: C
Like the Jazz, the Bucks were hampered with some injuries. They are also incorporating three newly acquired players in Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee. Those factors certainly contributed to Milwaukee’s rough outing. It was solid in transition, scoring 20 fast break points. It was the half-court sets that caused problems. The Bucks struggled against Utah’s interior defense and their perimeter game was rocky.
Milwaukee Bucks grade: C-
Three telling stats:
- The two squads combined to commit 46 turnovers, 31 of which came as a result of steals — 16 for the Jazz. Eight Utah players recorded a theft, paced by rookie Elijah Millsap’s career-high five steals. Each of the 20 individuals who saw action had at least one turnover, with nine having three or more miscues.
- Burke connected on five of 10 3-point shots, but the rest of the Jazz was just one of 12.
- While they contributed in other ways, it was not a stellar shooting night for the rookie quartet of Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Rodney Hood and Millsap. The foursome shot a combined one of 16 from the floor.
Up next: The Jazz embark this week on a four-game road trip, beginning Tuesday against a tough Memphis Grizzlies team. The Grizzlies currently boast the NBA’s third best record and look poised for a deep postseason run.
David Smith provides instant analysis for Deseret News' Utah Jazz coverage. He works for LDS Philanthropies and also writes for Salt City Hoops (ESPN's Jazz affiliate). He can be reached at mechakucha1@gmail.com or on Twitter at davidjsmith1232.