The defense has got to be the key of this team, and we know it. We have to be aggressive on the ball, and we know it. It’s one of the main things Coach asked us to do. – Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio
PHOENIX — It was preseason déjà vu Monday for the Utah Jazz, who defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-102 at Talking Stick Resort Arena just four days after an 11-point defeat of the same team in Salt Lake City.
Leading from the first possession on, the 18-point victory was hardly in question, with Utah leading by 30 points at one point.
Rookie guard Donovan Mitchell said the team's effort on both sides on the ball was the key difference between Monday's performance and the two teams' last game.
“Our intensity and defense really changed today. I think we let up a little bit on defense when we played them in Salt Lake," he said.
Defense certainly ruled the day for Utah early, as the Jazz forced the Suns into 32 turnovers, including 19 in the first half. Though Rudy Gobert was out for rest, Favors stepped in to anchor the brilliant defensive effort. With guards like Rubio and Mitchell able to cut off passing lanes, it was difficult all night for Phoenix to make key passes or drives to the basket.
A team known for its slow pace of play, Utah was able to get into transition early and often off steals, scoring 47 points off of turnovers.
Newly-acquired point guard Ricky Rubio said that he hopes that trend continues throughout the season.
“The defense has got to be the key of this team, and we know it. We have to be aggressive on the ball, and we know it. It’s one of the main things Coach asked us to do," he said.
Rubio started and finished his night hot from the floor. He scored the Jazz's first nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. Though he did not touch the court in the second half, he scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in 15 minutes.
Not normally a high-octane scorer, the experimental nature of the preseason gave him more confidence to be more assertive as a shooter and scorer.
“I tried to be more aggressive for the games before, look more for my shot and get the feeling. It’s preseason and trying to find out how my teammates play. A new system, a new coach, but at the end of the day I’ve got to play my game," he said.
Sitting out the second half, while the victory seemed inevitable, still was not easy for the point guard, who wanted to keep playing and scoring.
"This is a marathon. You know that in preseason you're going to get that feeling," he said, "You're hot, and you want to keep playing, but Coach didn't let me do it."
Mitchell was solid offensively as well, scoring 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and looked solid on his jump shots.
With many of the Jazz's starters sitting most of the second half, Mitchell was just one of the team's bench contributors able to capitalize on a thinly-stretched Suns team, who had seven players out due to injury.
Even with many reserves players playing significant minutes, the Suns' bench was heavily outmatched throughout the game. In the first three quarters, the Jazz bench outscored Phoenix 38-11.
Coach Quin Snyder was especially proud of the way his team, especially the bench, handled the game without their star center.
"We're different without Rudy, but I think our guys understand what we want and we work on it," he said. "Principles are there if we're just disciplined and our bench comes in like that with that mindset. It's hard to sustain that."
Though proud of the turnover margin, Snyder said the team cannot get too high or low based on this preseason performance, though it showed how deep the bench can be all year.
"We've talked about our team having depth, and guys come in with the right mindset to defend and move the ball, be unselfish. That's where depth can really be advantageous."
Frustration from an early deficit and a high number of giveaways manifested itself in Phoenix center Tyson Chandler's ejection in the second quarter.
With 8:20 left in the quarter, Chandler laid a heavy foul on Utah guard Raul Neto, causing a delay in play for the officials to review and ultimately give him a flagrant foul and an ejection.
The win brings the Jazz to 4-0 in the preseason. Utah plays at the Lakers Tuesday at Staples Center.