SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz got an earful following their final preseason game, and Quin Snyder believes his message was received loud and clear by his new veterans.
That, the Jazz coach suggested, is one reason why Joe Johnson went off in the second half of Utah’s 113-104 season-opening loss at Portland on Tuesday night.
Johnson exploded for 27 of his team-high 29 points after halftime, helping the Jazz turn a deficit into an eight-point lead.
Did Snyder say something to light a fire under Johnson, who had a ho-hum (at best) preseason after signing a two-year deal with the Jazz this offseason?
“I was pretty animated after our last preseason game,” Snyder said, “because I felt like we weren’t paying attention to a lot of the little things defensively. I think some of our veteran guys, to their credit, are letting me coach them.”
Though Damian Lillard’s 39-point night was the only thing that could one-up Johnson’s effort in the opener, the 35-year-old Jazz player made an impressive debut while filling in for the injured Gordon Hayward.
Lillard, by the way, has scored at least 20 points in six straight outings against the Jazz.
As for Johnson, the small forward hit 11 of 13 shots in the second-half outburst.
“Joe is somebody that we try not to put too much weight on his shoulders,” Snyder said. “But as he got it going, it just made sense to get him the ball and he was obviously effective doing that, as were some other guys on the court. But he definitely picked his spots and made some plays (Tuesday) that he’s capable of making.”
FREE-THROW CLINIC: Remarkably, neither team missed a shot from the free-throw line. Portland went 22-for-22, while Utah hit 16-of-16 freebies. That combined 38-for-38 foul shooting was just the third NBA game since 1963-64 with no misses.
JAZZ NOTES: Rudy Gobert, who had a strong preseason, notched the Jazz’s first double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds to go with two blocks and two assists. … Point guard George Hill had a nice debut for the Jazz: 19 points, six assists and two steals. … Rodney Hood scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and his most impressive two points came on a second-half slam that began with him getting the ball in the middle of the lane and ended with him vaulting off of the floor and hammering it home with one hand. Hood told reporters earlier this month that he worked on his vertical leap during the offseason. … The Jazz got a late scare when Hood seemed to twist his ankle, but he returned to action after a timeout. “I have no idea what happened,” he said. “I tweaked it a little bit, but I was fine. I walked on it and it hurt a little bit but it’s getting better.” … Dante Exum, who missed the entire 2015-16 season because of knee surgery, played only eight minutes. He scored five points, but Utah was outscored by 18 points while he was on the court. ... The Jazz took Wednesday off and will practice again Thursday to prepare for their home debut Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans are encouraged to dress for a “Blue Out” at Vivint Arena.
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