Utah Jazz return to win column, beat Memphis Grizzlies 126-112

SALT LAKE CITY — Sometimes when you’re having a hard time, life gives you exactly what you need to get back in a better place to balance things out.

For the Utah Jazz, mired in a skid that has seen them drop five out of their last six games, that means getting to play four out of their next five contests in the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena in front of their hometown fans. It’s a favorable situation that couldn’t have come at a better time.

Contrarily, the Memphis Grizzlies (5-17) happened to be the team Utah would face Saturday night, and they would be doing so in front of a particularly hostile crowd — oh, and sans their best player, rookie point guard Ja Morant, who was out due to injury. For the visitors, it was going to be a long night, as the Jazz broke out of their slump by defeating the Grizzlies 126-112.

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“It felt good to get back on the winning track. The way we played today was how we supposed to play,” said forward Jeff Green (19 points), whose hot shooting off the bench helped Utah build a lead in the second quarter. “It felt good to get back into that good rhythm.”

Green drained seven of his 9 shots from the field, including five of six from downtown. As a team for the game, Utah shot 57% from the floor and 56% from behind the three-point line. Despite losing, Memphis was also stellar from the field, converting on 53% of their field goal attempts, but just 29% from three-point land.

Guard Donovan Mitchell had 22 points to lead the Jazz, with Green and forward Bojan Bogdanovic tallying 19 points each. Center Rudy Gobert (19 points, 14 rebounds) and shooting guard Joe Ingles (12 points, 10 assists) both recorded double-doubles for Utah in its ninth home win of the season. Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. topped all scoring with 26 points for Memphis in the loss.

Green noted that the Jazz used the two days between games this week to look inward and determine how they each could do more to help the team win, beginning in practice, and that dedication paid off in Saturday night’s effort.

“We just had to look ourselves in the mirror and figure it out as an individual — how to better the team by doing your job,” he said in the locker room after the game. “We did that over the last two days and practice we competed. We communicated a lot better and it translated into (this win), so I’ll take that.”

For the first time in quite a while, the Jazz played with offensive intensity from the opening moments and kept up a strong effort throughout the game. And while you could argue it was against a lower-rung Western Conference team in a rebuilding mode that was without its top scorer and playmaker, you’ve got to start somewhere.

Can this be the beginning of a trend that can result in a few much-needed wins and added confidence for a Utah squad that had been struggling since before Thanksgiving? Green said the way the Jazz played against Memphis gave a good indication of the kind of character this team has after lackluster performances in their past several games.

“That shows responsibility. That shows leadership in their own way and it also forces everybody else to do the same. That’s what we need. We just got to continue to build off today’s win,” Green said. “We got a good team coming in on Monday in OKC. They’ve been playing well, so we got to get back to it tomorrow and regroup and try to take some positives into Monday and do the same.”

Up next is the Oklahoma City Thunder (9-12) on Monday again at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.