Analysis: Jazz improve in just about every area to beat Grizzlies in Game 2, tie series

The Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-129 Wednesday at Vivint Arena to tie the series 1-1.

High Notes

• Donovan Mitchell is back, and he made an immediate difference. He didn’t try to do too much and was effective with his limited minutes. He finished with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including going 5 of 10 from 3-point range and a perfect 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. He did it all in limited time, playing just under 26 minutes for the night.

“I think he was really antsy to get back on there and we missed him, so it was great. Getting his energy, positivity, all that, his aggressiveness and obviously his talent, it was definitely a good time to have him back.” — Rudy Gobert

• Most of the things the Jazz did poorly in Game 1 they cleaned up in Game 2. They didn’t turn the ball over as much, they kept the Grizzlies off the offensive boards better, they played better defense, they spaced the floor with more intention and they won the game.
• The even better news is that this wasn’t the Jazz’s best game. They can still clean things up and play better.
• When I say the spacing was better, I really mean it. The Jazz got a ton of open looks in Game 1 and missed shots, and they got even better looks in Game 2 and knocked down shots at a much higher clip. The Jazz shot 48.7% from 3-point range, a huge increase over their 25.5% outing Sunday.
• Mike Conley was sensational, and as a creator he carved up the Grizzlies’ defense. He finished with 20 points and 15 assists and was incredibly efficient, shooting 60% overall and knocking down half his 3s.
• The unselfishness of the Jazz was really impressive. Even with Conley racking up most of the assists, Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles and Gobert each had three apiece. The Jazz were looking for the open man and doing what they do best when the defense collapsed.
• Speaking of O’Neale, he had 14 points and hit 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. It’s not a huge number, but when he is taking shots the Jazz are better.
• Hunting players who notoriously foul is very smart and the Jazz did a great job of that Wednesday, getting Jonas Valanciunas and Dillion Brooks into foul trouble by the early minutes of the second quarter.
• Finally, Gobert was steady and played well throughout the night, but he brought things to a different level to start the fourth quarter. After the Grizzlies went on a run in the third and came back within striking distance, Gobert completely locked down the paint and was the reason the Jazz were able to mount a final run and secure the win. He finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

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Low Notes

• The Jazz’s third quarter was not good. They were outscored 43-29 with Morant and Brooks combining for 24 points. They didn’t get stops, the offense got stagnant, and they let the Grizzlies dictate everything. Memphis had five of its nine offensive boards in the third quarter. More than anything though, the Jazz just looked flat and disinterested in the third quarter. File this under a silver lining. The Jazz can do better. The Grizzlies are going to go on their runs, but the Jazz have to match the intensity for 48 minutes, not 36.

“They had more than an efficient third quarter. That first six minutes, they were terrific. I think Ja and Dillion, they’re so aggressive attacking. If they see lanes to the basket, you know they’re just going to drive those seams and get on the rim. I thought we didn’t do a good job in transition and then sometimes when you did do a pretty good job, they made shots, and maybe the biggest thing is that we fouled.” —Jazz coach Quin Snyder

Flat Notes

• It probably wouldn’t be fair to really call this a low note or a flat note, but it’s worth talking about. Defending Ja Morant is an incredibly tall task. There was an early effort to play higher and get Gobert and Derrick Favors switched onto Morant before he could get into the paint, not allowing easy floaters in the lane, and that seemed to work really well. Morant started to work away from that switch and forced the Jazz to change things up. He also started to hit long shots when they were going under screens. The point is that it’s really hard to guard a great scorer, but it’s not like the Jazz didn’t try.
• I know that looking at a box score and seeing Morant had 47 points might seem like there wasn’t a good defensive effort on him, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. Morant is an amazing player and was brilliant, but he could have ended up with 60 easily if it weren’t for the early effort to stop him and then Gobert making a huge difference down the stretch. The biggest problem is that Morant shot 20 free throws, making 15 of them. The Jazz can do a better job of contesting him without fouling.

“You can’t say enough about Ja Morant. I mean, he’s a special player and he can get where he wants to on the floor and he’s really tough to defend.” — Quin Snyder