Georges Niang breaks out in Utah Jazz win over Orlando Magic

ORLANDO — Georges Niang has a nickname that Donovan Mitchell affectionately gave to him — OTA.

The name refers to the offseason practices that are commonly referred to as OTAs, or organized team activities. The reason Mitchell calls Niang OTA is because during the practices, Niang was always on fire.

“I was just running to my normal spots and once I hit a couple, guys really started looking for me.” — Utah Jazz’s Georges Niang

Knocking down shots left and right and impressing his teammates behind the closed doors of the practice gym is one of the reasons that the Jazz have so much confidence in the 26-year-old forward and his ability to score when needed.

On Saturday night at the Amway Center in Orlando, Niang rocketed off the bench hitting 5-of-8 from 3-point range, helping the Jazz grab their fifth straight win to the tune of a 109-96 victory over the Magic.

“OTA Georges in full effect,” Mitchell said after the game.

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Niang finished the night with 15 points off the bench, including hitting three consecutive treys in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, giving the Jazz the edge they needed to close out the game.

“I was just running to my normal spots and once I hit a couple, guys really started looking for me,” he said after the game. “It felt good to see shots going in. Then once you’re in the zone you kind of just stick to it.”

After the Jazz waived Jeff Green last month, the plan was to get Niang more minutes at the four position rather than the three — the thought process being that it is the better positional fit and with one less player in that role, the minutes would be available.

Since then, Niang has shot 54.5% from the 3 averaging 8 points in 15 minutes off the bench for the Jazz.

For head coach Quin Snyder, who always looks at defense first, he’s been impressed with the work that Niang has put in and the improvement that he’s seen in that department. Additionally, he’s impressed by the way that his team pulls for one another, a thought that was at the forefront of his mind after Saturday’s win.

“We have balance on our team so it can be different guys every night,” Snyder said. “This is a group that enjoys when someone else steps up, and that’s unique. Nobody is thinking about their game and their line, they’re thinking about our game. I thought more than anything that was reflected defensively tonight.”

Although Niang’s shooting and fourth-quarter surge were a huge piece of the puzzle on Saturday, the win wouldn’t have been possible without the resilience of both Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Shots from deep were not falling in the early going of the game for anyone on the Jazz as the team went 5-of-18 through the first two quarters and the Magic’s Terrence Ross looked unstoppable.

But, with Gobert cleaning up the glass, grabbing 12 of his 17 rebounds in the first half, Mitchell was able to hunt out his spots and find his rhythm in the midrange.

“The midrange is something I’ve been working on for a while and being able to get that and see those go in allows you to get out there,” Mitchell said. “I missed short on my first two 3s so I said, ‘OK let me get my rhythm back and try to find ways to keep it going.’”

Mitchell finished the night with a game-high 32 points, 20 of which came off two-point buckets, leading the Jazz to their 10th win in the last 11 games and improving the team’s record to 23-12 on the season.